The maritime and offshore drilling industries use various forms of cranes in virtually all phases of their daily work. But while such cranes are vital tools, they also can lead to devastating ship crane accidents causing injuries or deaths.
What are Different Types of Maritime Cranes?
The different types of maritime, ship, offshore or marine cranes include:
- Ship cranes
- Cargo cranes
- Deck cranes
- Offshore cranes
- Oil rig or oil platform cranes
- Transfer cranes
- Workboat cranes
What are Marine, Ship or Offshore Crane Accidents?
As for what are some marine, ship or offshore crane accidents, these vary but often are due to the very nature of the crane and its work. Such cranes must lift and carry extremely heavy objects. But they also can drop such objects accidentally. Cranes also can fall, collapse or tip over.
Other forms of maritime crane accidents occur due to overloading, metal fatigue, stress failure, operator error, poor maintenance, owner negligence and other problems involving negligent crane design, manufacture or operation. Such maritime, offshore and ship crane accidents are preventable. For ship, boat, barge and offshore workers, crane safety must be paramount, and the serious injuries and even deaths caused by marine crane accidents should not happen. But they do, and someone must pay. That means confronting the negligent party after a crane accident in the legal arena. There, offshore and maritime workers have inherent protections.
One is the Jones Act, also known as the Merchant Maritime Act, named after Sen. Wesley R. Jones of Washington state, who wrote the law in 1920. Revised and expanded since then, the Jones Act continues to protect the rights of injured sailors, seamen and maritime workers, as well as offshore oil rig platform workers. When they are injured on the job on or near water, they can file a Jones Act lawsuit in federal court to claim payments in compensation for their losses.
Other protections can come from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and general maritime law.
These legal protections can help the family of an injured or killed worker from a ship crane accident to claim payments for their economic losses, including medical costs, lost wages and pain and suffering.
Get a Ship Crane Accident Lawyer
Such payments can come by getting a ship crane accident lawsuit. The Willis Law Firm can provide this for you — and at no up-front legal costs to you, since we are paid only if we win your case. If someone in your family was seriously injured or killed in an accident involving a ship crane, oil rig crane, offshore platform crane, dock crane, barge-mounted crane, workboat crane, marine crane, yacht crane or crane fall, tip-over or collapse, contact us today for a free legal review of your case.
You can speak to a Board-Certified Personal Injury Trial Lawyer to get the legal advice and guidance you need to pursue your ship crane accident lawsuit. Contact us today, and let’s get started claiming the payments to which your family is legally entitled after a loved one’s maritime, offshore or ship crane accident injury.
Talk to a Ship Crane Accident Lawyer Today- Free Online Form or Call 1-800-883-9858