Even though most of the large cargo shipments are transferred with the help of special equipment like cranes, UTIs, tractors, forklifts, etc., most of the more minor cargoes still need physical labor to move shipments. Dockers unload and load cargo from ships, trucks, and rail cars at ports and harbors.
Most of the tasks these workers perform are challenging and involve significant risks of getting hurt. Unfortunately, injuries are common among dockers, resulting in severe medical complications.
You are entitled to seek compensation if you get injured while working at the port. So contact a Philadelphia, PA personal injury attorney immediately.
Common injuries in a longshoreman accident
- Traumatic brain injuries
Traumatic brain injuries or TBI are prevalent among dockers as a significant part of their work involves carrying heavy cargo on their heads and transferring them to the docks. Due to such a high level of force, workers often develop traumatic brain injuries that affect their physical and mental health causing severe complications.
More traumatic brain injuries can also cause long-term medical complications that can leave the victim handicapped or permanently impair their physical or mental abilities.
- Repetitive strain injuries
Repetitive strain injuries occur when a repetitive action causes damage to your muscles or nerve, resulting in short-term or long-term injuries. A repetitive strain injury is pretty painful, and the victim suffers a lot due to the limitation that the wound can cause them.
Even though these injuries are sustained after a long-term strain caused on your ligaments, muscles, tendons, or nerves, you must be careful and get a checkup done as soon as you experience any severe pain in your locomotive organs and back.
These injuries can also result after an accident; however, most cases show long years of working on the assembly line, pulling cables, unloading pallets, etc.
- Back injuries
Another common form of injury seen in longshoremen is back injuries. As longshoremen carry such heavy cargo daily, they can quickly develop severe or long-term back injuries like slip disk or a degenerated disk. Moreover, some of these injuries might even affect their working abilities forever.
For example, if a docker attempts to lift heavy equipment or cargo and does not have the appreciated position, they can severely damage their back. Sometimes a worker might even fall because of their wrong half on load, resulting in several injuries, including a back injury. Additionally, they also work with heavy equipment, and if there is a mechanical failure, it can result in a life-threatening situation for the dockers.
