Louisiana Maritime Back & Spinal Injury Lawyer

Back and spinal injuries are the single most common serious injury in maritime and offshore work. One in five workplace injuries in the United States involves the back, and on vessels and offshore platforms, where workers lift pipes, handle heavy lines, work in awkward positions on moving surfaces, and absorb the constant vibration and motion of life at sea — the rate is even higher.

For an offshore worker, a serious back injury is not just painful. It is potentially the end of a career, the loss of a livelihood, and the beginning of a financial crisis that affects the entire family.

At The Maritime Injury Law Firm, George Vourvoulias has spent 20 years fighting for offshore workers with back and spinal injuries throughout Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, including a client whose back surgery left him worse off than before, and whose case George resolved with a substantial settlement after the insurer refused further treatment.

Call (504) 584-6300 — free and confidential, 24/7. No fee unless we win.

How Maritime Back and Spinal Injuries Happen

Slip and falls on vessel decks

Slip and falls are the leading cause of back injuries in offshore work. Wet, oily, or poorly maintained deck surfaces, missing non-skid, improperly drained walkways, ice accumulation in winter all cause workers to fall in ways that compress the spine, herniate discs, and fracture vertebrae. The physics of a fall on a moving vessel are different from a fall on land: the vessel’s pitch and roll can direct force in unexpected directions, making injuries more severe.

Heavy lifting and pipe handling

Offshore workers routinely lift and handle loads that would be considered excessive in most industries. Deckhands handling mooring lines, roughnecks picking up pipe, roustabouts moving equipment — all of these tasks place enormous strain on the lumbar spine. Single acute lifting injuries and cumulative damage from years of heavy manual labor both produce serious back and disc pathology. When the vessel’s movement is added to the load, the injury risk multiplies.

Vessel collisions and sudden movements

When a vessel collides with another vessel, allides with a structure, or is struck by a wave in heavy weather, the sudden violent movement throws crew members against bulkheads, decks, and equipment. These impacts frequently cause vertebral compression fractures, facet joint injuries, and traumatic disc herniations, particularly in workers who were not braced for the impact.

Crane and rigging accidents

Being struck by a crane load, caught in rigging, or thrown by the snap of a parted line can cause catastrophic spinal injuries including fractures, cord compression, and paralysis. These injuries are frequently caused by equipment failure, inadequate inspection and maintenance, and operator error.

Falls from height

Falls from ladder wells, elevated decks, derrick structures, and platform stairs produce some of the most severe spinal injuries in the maritime industry. Axial loading injuries from vertical falls can cause burst fractures of the lumbar and thoracic spine; injuries that require extensive surgery and often result in permanent neurological deficits.

Types of Maritime Back and Spinal Injuries

Herniated and bulging discs

The most common serious maritime back injury is disc herniation — when the soft inner material of a spinal disc pushes through its outer ring and compresses adjacent nerve roots. Symptoms include radiating pain down the leg (sciatica), numbness, weakness, and loss of bladder or bowel control in severe cases. Herniated discs frequently require surgery. A microdiscectomy or fusion, and the surgical outcome is not always positive.

Spinal cord injuries and paralysis

Direct trauma to the spinal cord from falls, crush injuries, or violent vessel motion can cause partial or complete paralysis. Incomplete spinal cord injuries may allow some motor and sensory function below the level of injury; complete injuries result in total loss. These are among the highest-value cases in maritime law, requiring extensive expert testimony about future medical care costs, lifetime earning capacity loss, and quality of life damages.

Vertebral fractures

Compression fractures, burst fractures, and flexion-distraction fractures of the vertebral bodies occur from falls, heavy impacts, and axial loading. Some fractures are stable and managed conservatively; others require immediate surgical stabilization. All vertebral fractures in maritime workers deserve full legal evaluation because of the employer’s negligence. Inadequate deck maintenance, insufficient crew and failure to provide fall protection are frequently a contributing cause.

Facet joint injuries and spondylolisthesis

Facet joint syndrome, a degeneration, inflammation, or traumatic injury of the small joints connecting vertebrae is a common source of chronic back pain in maritime workers. Spondylolisthesis, where one vertebra slips forward on the vertebra below it, is often aggravated or caused by maritime work. These injuries are frequently minimized by company doctors as pre-existing degenerative changes. The Jones Act protects workers whose pre-existing conditions are aggravated or accelerated by employer negligence.

Soft tissue injuries

Sprains, strains, and ligament injuries of the lumbar spine are the most common category of back injury in maritime work. While often dismissed as minor, soft tissue back injuries can produce months of disabling pain and may indicate underlying structural damage that requires advanced imaging to identify. Never accept a company doctor’s characterization of a back injury as a simple strain without getting an independent evaluation.

Why Maritime Back Injury Cases Are Different

Back injury cases in maritime law have several features that make them distinct from and often more valuable than standard personal injury back injury cases:

The Jones Act’s featherweight causation standard means your employer’s negligence does not have to be the primary cause of your injury — any contribution, however slight, is sufficient
Pre-existing conditions do not bar recovery — if your work aggravated, accelerated, or combined with a pre-existing back condition to produce your current disability, you are entitled to compensation
Maintenance and cure provides immediate income and medical coverage from the day of injury, separate from and in addition to your negligence claim
Future earning capacity losses are fully recoverable — if your back injury prevents you from returning to offshore work, the difference between what you would have earned and what you can now earn is a recoverable damage
Vocational rehabilitation costs are recoverable — retraining for a new career following a disabling back injury is a compensable expense

What to Do After a Maritime Back Injury

Report in writing immediately. Fill out an injury report describing every unsafe condition. This document becomes critical evidence.
Document everything. Photograph the scene, equipment, and your injuries. Get witness names and contact information.
Don’t give a recorded statement. The company adjuster works for your employer. Do not speak with them before calling an attorney.
Choose your own doctor. You have a legal right to an independent physician. Exercise it from day one.
Call us before signing anything. Early settlement offers are almost always worth a fraction of case value. Call (504) 584-6300 first.

Important: Do not minimize your symptoms when reporting your injury or speaking to a company doctor. Many offshore workers instinctively downplay their pain because they don’t want to appear weak or lose their job. This is understandable but a minimized injury report creates a medical record that the employer will use against you. Report everything, accurately and completely.

The Maritime Injury Law Firm - Representing Offshore Workers - Jones Act tugboat

Results in Maritime Back Injury Cases

Edwin J. Turcios v. LaPorte Plumbing & Heating — Cash Settlement: $442,725. The client suffered a serious back injury requiring two surgeries. When the insurer refused to authorize the second surgery, George forced coverage and negotiated full settlement.

“I hired George Vourvoulias after I suffered a back injury at work and a surgery that left me worse off than I was before. I was nervous because I was unable to work or earn any money. George explained everything to me and guided me through the process.” — Darren Holmes

Why George Vourvoulias

Masters Degree in Admiralty, Tulane University Law School, New Orleans
20+ years practicing exclusively in maritime and offshore injury law
Admitted to U.S. District Courts for Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana and the Fifth Circuit
Member: Trial Lawyers College, Louisiana State Bar, New Orleans Bar, International Society of Barristers
100% contingency fee — no fee unless we recover for you
You work directly with George — not a paralegal or associate

The Maritime Injury Law Firm - Representing Offshore Workers - tugboat

Frequently Asked Questions About Maritime Back Injuries

My MRI shows pre-existing disc degeneration. Does that hurt my case?

No. The Jones Act protects workers whose pre-existing conditions are aggravated or accelerated by employer negligence. The employer takes you as they find you — if your back was already vulnerable and their negligence caused a herniation or rupture that would not have occurred without the incident, they are liable for the full extent of your injury. Company lawyers will try to attribute your entire condition to pre-existing degeneration. An experienced maritime attorney knows how to counter this argument with independent medical expert testimony.

The company doctor says I can return to work. Do I have to?

No. You have a legal right to an independent medical opinion. A company doctor’s MMI determination does not end your maintenance and cure entitlement if your own physician believes you have not reached maximum improvement. You also have the right to dispute a return-to-work clearance you believe is premature. Returning to work before you are medically ready and re-injuring yourself can seriously complicate your case. Get independent medical advice before making that decision.

I had back surgery and it didn’t help. Can I still pursue a claim?

Yes. An unsuccessful surgery may actually support a higher damages award, as it demonstrates the severity of your injury and the limitations of available treatment. George represented a client whose back surgery left him in worse condition than before. His employer bore responsibility not just for the original injury but for the foreseeable consequences of the required treatment.

How much is my maritime back injury case worth?

It depends on the severity of your injury, your age, your pre-injury earnings, the extent of your future disability, and the strength of the evidence of employer negligence. A herniated disc that resolves after conservative treatment has very different value from a spinal cord injury causing permanent partial paralysis. The best way to understand what your case may be worth is a free consultation with George. He will evaluate the facts honestly and give you a realistic assessment.

Contact a Louisiana Maritime Back Injury Lawyer

If you injured your back or spine working offshore in Louisiana, the compensation you receive depends heavily on having an attorney who has handled hundreds of these cases. Call today.

Call (504) 584-6300 — free and confidential, 24/7

Let us help you right the ship.

Click or call (504) 584-6300 to schedule a free and confidential consultation

SCHEDULE A FREE AND CONFIDENTIAL CONSULTATION CALL (504) 584-6300

Send Us a Message

The Maritime Injury Law Firm | 400 Poydras St., Suite 1680-C, New Orleans, LA 70130 | Sitemap | Disclaimer