$380,000 Settlement in a Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Case for a 50 Year Old Man Injured While Working on a Ship

On August 1, 2010, the claimant, a 50 year old man, was working in the engine room located on the bottom deck of a large yacht that was being constructed at a shipyard in Bridgeport, Connecticut, when he was caused to fall through a metal grate that was installed as part of the flooring, causing him to land on his left side, where he struck his low back and ribs on steel pipe and cabinetry located on the deck below. As a result of his fall, the claimant sustained injuries to his low back and ribs. A claim for benefits under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act was initially filed with the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) in Boston, Massachusetts. When the claim could not be settled with the OWCP, the case was assigned by a District Court Director to the U.S. Department of Labor Office of the Administrative Law Judges (OALJ) for a hearing before an administrative law judge. Following a formal hearing that was held before Judge Colleen Geraghty in New Haven, Connecticut on May 2, 2012 and before a final decision had been reached in the case, the parties agreed to proceed to a mediation that was held before Judge Jonathan C. Calianos in New London, Connecticut, resulting in a total settlement in the amount of $380,000 for the claimant.