A man who was working on an offshore rig in the East Timor Sea is fighting for a larger accident compensation payout following an accident in which he was severely burned.
He was employed by Maersk Drilling as a night barge engineer and was working on the Nan Hai VI platform when the accident happened in July 2006.
The man investigated when a fire alarm went off and found paint and other materials next to the fire, which then exploded. He was thrown into a post, breaking his shoulder, and suffered 20 per cent burns to his left leg, hands, eyes and face.
He was airlifted to hospital in Darwin and was put into an induced coma. He had since had a stroke and is unable to return to his line of work.
The worker said, “Maersk admitted liability and offered me a sum but it was far too low. We’re not going to live in poverty just because they don’t want to pay out. I just want a better offer from them, and then I can get on with my life. I just have to try to fight my case,” he added.