Mechanic Injured Back and Neck During Boat Transfer

A diesel mechanic sent offshore to repair a winch on a tugboat was attempting to make a swing rope transfer to a crew boat after finishing his work and injured his back and neck when he slammed into the bulwarks on the first attempt. A tricky task when going from a stationary platform to a vessel, a swing rope transfer is made ever more hazardous when attempted from one vessel to another. The mechanic had never performed such a transfer before and an alternative, safer means of transfer existed but was not employed because of time constraints inherent in the oil field. Expert evidence provided the backdrop for the obvious danger involved in such a transfer, and Kopfler Personal Injury Attorneys defeated defense efforts aimed at placing fault on the mechanic.