As a firm that represents injured divers, we at Vujasinovic & Beckcom PLCC are very familiar with the dangers of the profession. If you or a family member has been hurt on a commercial dive, decompression sickness is something you need to be aware of.Decompression sickness (DCS) is also known as the bends, caisson disease or divers’ disease. It’s caused by dissolved gases forming into bubbles inside the body. The greatest risk occurs when divers make deep or lengthy dives. Multiple dives during the same day or repeated back-to-back dives also increase the risk of DCS. Symptoms include headaches, fatigue, confusion, dizziness, amnesia, rashes, joint pain, muscle weakness, coughing up blood, unconsciousness, paralysis and death. DCS signs frequently appear immediately upon surfacing but may not be noticed until anywhere from 15 minutes to 12 hours post-dive. There are even instances of the first signs appearing 24 hours after surfacing. Divers are warned not to fly within 24 hours after diving. Divers are advised to take one day off after two or three consecutive days of diving.Treatment for DCS includes breathing pure oxygen and drinking plenty of fluids. The more extreme symptoms require the divers to spend five or six hours in a decompression chamber.Dive tables help divers stay safe by showing them how far down they can descend and how long they can remain at a certain depth. Nevertheless, a diver can still get DCS even with dive tables. Read about a current decompression sickness lawsuit in our blog library here.Read our article “Diving Injuries – Are Diving Injuries Covered Under the Jones Act?” for additional information on the rights of injured divers. If you or a loved one has suffered decompression sickness or other diving injury, contact the Board Certified attorneys at Vujasinovic & Beckcom PLCC either through our website or by calling (713) 224-7800 or (877) 724-7800.
Category: Diver Accident Lawyer
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