No Hercules Offshore Lift Boat Crew Member Injured in Fire

Posted on January 26th, 2012 by

All 27 crew members of a lift boat which was engulfed by a fire that raged through an oil rig off the Nigerian coast line, are reported to be fine.  Hercules Offshore has reported that all personnel on board the Mako were safely rescued from the fire.  The crew members were all transported to a local medical center for an evaluation of their injuries, and treatment of minor injuries.

The fire raged through the KS Endeavor oil rig a few miles off the Nigerian coast line on January 16.  According to Hercules Offshore, the 175 ‘class lift boat Mako was also engulfed in the flames that raged through the rig.  The boat was providing storage services to the KS Endeavor at the time of the Incident.  According to Hercules Offshore, it has not been able to determine the extent of the damage to the lift boat.

The KS Endeavor which was operated by Chevron burst into flames on January 16.  Two contractors working on the rig are believed to have been killed in the fire.  Late last week, the company called off search and rescue operations for the 2 crewmembers who had been missing since the explosion.  About 152 crewmembers on the rig were evacuated, and are reported to be safe.  Investigations into the rig explosion are on.

If you are a Mississippi offshore worker who has been injured in an offshore accident, speak with an experienced offshore injury lawyer at Vujasinovic and Beckcom.



Canine Trials Could Hold Key to Spinal Cord Injury Treatment

Posted on January 26th, 2012 by

Maritime workers in Mississippi who have suffered a spinal cord injury should monitor the results of tests on a new spinal cord injury drug.  The tests have yielded excellent results on mice, and are now being conducted on dogs. If the results are impressive enough, the researchers plan to begin testing on human subjects.

The drug works to block the functioning of the matrix metalloproteinase-9 protein which increases in number soon after a spinal cord injury.  This protein generates a chemical reaction that damages cells, leads to swelling and inflammation, and basically increases the extent of cell damage.  By inhibiting the function of this protein, the new drug will limit the damage to cells and pathways.

Scientists at the University of California San Francisco have already conducted successful tests on mice.  The mice that had suffered spinal cord injury were injected with the drug 3 days after the injury.  The treatment was continued over 3 days.  After 3 days, researchers found that mice that had suffered paralysis in the hind limbs were able to use these limbs. The researchers believe that the effect of the drug may be even more beneficial if the treatment is continued beyond 3 days.  They plan to probe this angle further.

Now, scientists at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine will begin tests on dogs.  If these tests are successful, the next logical progression will be testing on human beings.

If you are a maritime worker in Mississippi who has suffered a spinal cord injury, speak with an experienced maritime attorney at Vujasinovic and Beckcom about your rights to compensation.



How Does an Injured Maritime Worker in Mississippi Pay His Bills?

Posted on January 26th, 2012 by

One of the biggest questions facing an injured Maritime worker in Mississippi is how to meet his daily expenses during the time that he is injured.  Depending on the severity of the injury, an injured maritime worker can expect to be out of service for a couple of days to months.  Fortunately, the Jones Act gives maritime workers the right to claim payments for household bills.

These payments are made as part of the worker’s Jones Act rights to maintenance payments.  Maintenance payments typically refer to payments made to meet a worker’s household expenses and daily living costs, including the costs of rent, utilities, groceries, travel expenses and other living expenses.

There is no fixed maintenance payment that is followed by the industry as a standard.  Payment amounts may vary, but the amount must be sufficient enough to meet the worker’s expenses.  For instance, a payment of less than $30 a day will hardly be sufficient to meet a worker’s expenses.

Maintenance payments must be made until the worker reaches a state of maximum medical improvement.  This means that the payments must keep coming until the worker reaches a state beyond which his condition is not expected to improve further.  Maintenance and cure payments are some of the most basic rights of a Jones Act worker, and must be paid to the worker regardless of who was responsible for the accident or injury.

If you are a maritime worker in Mississippi and have been injured in an accident, your first course of action should be ensuring that you are receiving your maintenance and cure payments on time.  If you have questions about your maintenance rights, speak with an experienced Jones Act lawyer at our firm.



Chevron Suspends Search for Missing Offshore Oil Rig Workers after Explosion

Posted on January 20th, 2012 by

Chevron has confirmed that it has suspended search and rescue operations for 2 missing offshore workers after an explosion on its oil rig off Nigeria’s coast.

According to Chevron Corp., about 152 offshore workers have already been rescued from the burning rig which is located about 6 miles off Nigeria’s coast line.  The 2 missing workers are reported to be foreign contractors who worked for FODE Drilling Ltd., which is operating for Chevron.  The 2 workers are believed to be from France and India.

The explosion, which occurred on January 16, is being linked to equipment failures during drilling.  However, an investigation into the incident has already begun, and more details will be available later.  The jack up drilling rig was the scene of a fire, leading officials to launch an evacuation of all workers.  At this point in time, the rig still continues to burn.

At least 2 workers who were rescued have suffered serious burns, and have been hospitalized.  Many of the other workers who suffered injuries are being investigated for these.

This is a traumatic time for the family members of the 2 contractors believed to have been killed in this disaster.  Our hearts go out to them, and we hope that investigations are conducted at full speed, so the families can get the closure they need.

If you’re an injured offshore oil rig worker in Louisiana, contact an experienced offshore injury lawyer at Vujasinovic and Beckcom for an evaluation of your case.



Emotional Health Can Impact Recovery after an Injury

Posted on January 20th, 2012 by

A maritime worker, who has undergone an orthopedic procedure after an injury, has a better quality of recovery, when he’s emotionally healthy.  In other words, a person’s emotional state of mind is influential in affecting his speed of recovery after surgery.

The effect of a person’s emotional health on his recovery from surgery for spinal cord injury, reconstruction surgery, upper arm surgery, and other surgeries after an accident, has been confirmed in several studies.  For instance, persons who have poor emotional health in the form of low self esteem, low social support or those who suffer from anxiety are much less likely to have a high-quality recovery after an injury.  Patients, who find themselves equipped with the essential coping mechanisms, may be more likely to recover well after surgery. Persons who suffer from signs of low-grade depression could possibly have a delayed recovery.

Fortunately, the research on this is pretty solid, so doctors do spend time before a surgery trying to find emotional issues that can impact post-surgery recovery.  They do this before the patient goes into surgery, trying to discuss emotional issues that may place them at a risk of delayed recovery.  However, once your doctor identifies any signs of depression or other emotional health problems, there is little that he can do to intervene in these areas.

If you are a maritime worker in Louisiana, who has suffered an injury and has to undergo surgery, reach out to your family, friends and others in your social support circle at this time.  It’s normal to feel traumatized, but it’s also equally important to maintain your emotional balance for a complete recovery.  For more advice on how to cope after an injury, consult with an experienced maritime lawyer at Vujasinovic and Beckcom.



Houston Surgeons Use Graft Technique to Treat Maritime Shoulder Injuries

Posted on January 19th, 2012 by

Surgeons at a Houston hospital are using a graft technique to strengthen muscles repaired after a rotator cuff injury.  This is believed to be a much more effective and more permanent way to repair a damaged rotator cuff.

According to the surgeons at St. Luke’s, the technique involves using a piece of graft to strengthen the repaired rotator cuff muscle.  These muscles are located in the shoulder, and many maritime workers are prone to rotator cuff injuries.  Many of these injuries occur as a result of repetitive stress that places a strain on the muscles of the shoulder.  Maritime workers may suffer from tendinitis, bursitis, inflammation, muscle tears, and other injuries that can impact their ability to return to work after the injury.

The surgeons have compared success results from techniques using the graft and without a graft, and have found that patients with a rotator cuff injury treated with the technique using the graft, had an 85% healing rate, compared to a 45% healing rate in persons who did not receive the graft.

This technique is especially useful for people who have suffered larger muscle tears.  Over a period of time, doctors believe that the repaired muscle will be less likely to be damaged again.  Additionally, the technique has also been found to eliminate some of the common side effects after surgery, like arthritis or stiffness.

If you are a maritime worker who has suffered a shoulder injury or a rotator cuff injury, consult an experienced and skilled maritime lawyer at Vujasinovic and Beckcom.  All initial consultations are free.



Brain Adapts Quickly to Hand Injury

Posted on January 18th, 2012 by

When a maritime worker suffers an arm or hand fracture, rendering his hand immobile for a period of time, it may not be long before the brain kicks in to increase his ability to use the other arm.  A new study finds that the brain adjusts quickly to a fractured arm, helping people to adjust to their new circumstances, and helping them to improvise with the other uninjured arm.

As anyone who has suffered a fracture, or any hand injury that has rendered the hand and arm immobile and incapable of any kind of activity knows, learning to live without the use of your good arm can be excruciatingly difficult.  However, the study which has just been published in the journal Neurology indicates that the brain experiences shifts that allow the person to adapt quickly to the changed circumstances.

The study involved 10 right-handed people who suffered a fracture in the upper arm.  These persons went through 2 MRIs, the first within 2 days of suffering the injury and the second about 2 weeks after the injury.  The researchers measured how well the right-handers were able to use their left hand to perform routine tasks.  They found that within 2 weeks, the subjects were able to begin using their left hand much more easily than they were able to 2 days after the injury.  Some sections of the brain that were associated with the use of the left hand had increased in size after the injury.

The researchers want to conduct more studies to see if people who have lost the use of a limb, like maritime workers who have suffered amputations or crushed limbs, could benefit from improved therapies that work on increasing the brain’s capacity to improvise in this manner.

If you are a maritime worker in Mississippi who has suffered an amputated limb or arm injury, there are steps you can take to protect your rights to compensation.  Begin by ordering a copy of our free report The Insider’s Guide to Winning Your Maritime Injury Case.  Speak with an experienced maritime attorney at our firm. Initial consultations are free.



Research into Progesterone Treatment for Brain Injury Continue

Posted on January 18th, 2012 by

An international study into the use of the female hormone natural progesterone to treat brain injury is continuing, with trials in the United Kingdom soon to begin.  At least 5 hospitals in that country have been selected for the trials.  Trials in this country have already yielded promising results.

The trial involves the administration of an infusion of the sex hormone progesterone to persons who have suffered a traumatic brain injury.  Persons in another group will be administered a placebo with no side effects.

For years now, scientists have wondered why women who suffer a brain injury are able to recover quicker than men.  They believe it has something to do the protective properties of the progesterone hormone, and that the hormone has properties that allow reduced swelling in the brain, and enhance the speed of recovery.

The study is being conducted on more than 1,200 patients between the age of 17 and 70 across the world.  In the United States, some of the first trials have found promising results.  One trial of about 100 persons found that 13% of the persons with the sex hormone infusions died about 30 days after the injury, compared to 30% of persons with a placebo.

Final results of the trials will be available only after about 3 years, but researchers are confident that this is the next way forward in brain injury treatment.

If you are a maritime worker in Louisiana who has suffered a brain injury, there are steps you can take to protect your rights to compensation.  Begin by ordering a copy of our free report The Insider’s Guide to Winning Your Maritime Injury Case.  Speak with an experienced maritime attorney at our firm. Initial consultations are free.



Box Ship Crewmember Evacuated After Suffering Hand Injury

Posted on January 16th, 2012 by

A box ship crewmember had to be medically evacuated from a vessel after he suffered a hand injury.

According to Professional Mariner, the accident occurred when a hatch shut down on the seaman’s hand, leaving him with serious hand injuries.  He was in severe pain, and it quickly became clear that he had to be taken to a hospital on shore for treatment.  The Coast Guard rushed a helicopter to the scene, and the 34-year-old seaman was airlifted from the container vessel.

The rescue was complicated because of the 12 m waves and 31 mph winds.  However, he was evacuated successfully, and taken to a clinic in Alaska.

There are a number of hand injury hazards on a vessel.  Workers may suffer hand injuries in slip and fall accidents, or when they have machinery, equipment or cargo crush their hands and fingers.  When a worker’s hands get entangled in a moving line, or tangled up in a piece of machinery, there is a serious possibility for an injury that could end the seaman’s career.

Typically, the kind of hand injuries that maritime lawyers come across include finger amputations, hand amputations, finger fractures, wrist fractures, severed tendons, lacerations and crushing injuries.  Workers may also be at risk of injuries from repetitive stress.  For example, a maritime worker who uses his wrist, hand or arm to perform a particular job repeatedly, may be at risk of carpal tunnel syndrome.



Fast track Surgeries Recommended for Patients with Hip Fractures

Posted on January 13th, 2012 by

New guidance out of the United Kingdom holds that persons who have suffered a hip fracture should be operated on within 48 hours of being admitted to the hospital, in order to reduce the risk of complications.

The guidance has been published in the journal Anesthesia, and consists of a 10-point recommendation plan that has been drawn up by anesthetist and orthopedic groups in the United Kingdom.  According to the guidelines, it’s important to fast-track care of patients with hip fractures, to reduce the risk of complications like pneumonia and other hospital- acquired infections, and pressure sores.

Besides fast tracking surgery, the guidelines also call for fast processing of patients, multidisciplinary care, surgery by qualified and skilled surgeons and anesthetists, proper communication between clinicians and allied health professionals as well as steps to prevent fall accidents, which are a major cause of hip fractures among maritime workers in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and around the country.

Most hip fractures that maritime lawyers in Texas come across involve workers who have been injured in a slip and fall accident on a deck, or a fall from an elevation, or a ladder.  A vessel, oil rig or oil platform can contain many such fall hazards that can go undetected, leaving the worker exposed to the risk of injuries.

If you are a maritime worker in Texas who has suffered hip fractures or other injuries in a slip and fall accident, speak with a maritime attorney at Vujasinovic and Beckcom.  Initial consultations are free.



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