After an offshore or maritime accident, you should seek legal help to evaluate your rights. You may have the right to compensation because you suffered injuries in the accident. But many accident victims aren’t sure where to turn if they were hurt on an offshore oil rig or in a maritime accident. Not all personal injury lawyers handle these cases, as they typically involve complex federal laws, challenging investigations, and intricate facts. Our team at Allen & Nunnally are the first to fight for you in an offshore or maritime accident case.
What Is an Offshore or Maritime Accident?
The term “offshore accident” usually refers to an accident that occurs on an offshore oil rig or other marine-based refining equipment. A “maritime accident” usually refers to an accident at sea on a boat or ship. Offshore and maritime accidents can have high-stakes consequences because of (1) the remote location and difficulty of getting injured people to a hospital and (2) the dangerous nature of many offshore and maritime workers’ jobs.
Oil rig companies and maritime operators often argue that workers accepted the risk of serious injury when they took on the job. Therefore, they say, it’s supposedly not reasonable for a worker with life-changing injuries to receive sufficient compensation. Instead, they try to avoid responsibility or offer a lowball settlement. At Allen & Nunnally, we reject these arguments. Injured workers with offshore or maritime jobs deserve reasonable compensation for their injuries. We handle cases that involve all kinds of offshore and maritime accidents, such as:
- Oil rig accidents and explosions
- Slips and falls on a rig or boat
- Crane and hoisting injuries
- Tugboat and barge accidents
- Heavy machinery failures
Personal Injury Laws for Offshore and Maritime Accidents
A key part of Allen & Nunnally’s diligent legal representation for offshore and maritime accident victims is our deep knowledge of the various laws that may apply to your case. A different set of laws apply to accidents at sea than accidents on land. For accidents on land, typically, the personal injury laws of the state in which the accident took place will apply. For example, we represent Texas accident victims, so Texas personal injury laws govern their cases. When an injury occurs at sea or on an offshore oil rig, federal laws typically apply. There are a few common federal laws that may apply to your case: the Jones Act, the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, among others.
The Jones Act allows a seaman to pursue a negligence action (personal injury lawsuit) in court against their employer, with the right to trial by jury. It’s a federal law governing maritime accidents in U.S. waters and at U.S. ports. Before this law passed, seamen injured in accidents had little recourse.
The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (“LHWCA”) provides workers’ compensation for maritime workers other than seamen (such as longshoremen). Compensation under the LHWCA is similar to compensation available under state workers’ compensation laws. An injured harbor worker could have additional legal claims for injuries caused by non-employers, which the LHWCA would not cover. Finally, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (“OCSLA”) extends the LHWCA’s workers’ compensation protection to oil and gas workers on the Outer Continental Shelf. Again, an injured oil or gas worker could have additional legal claims for injuries caused by non-employers, which the OCSLA would not cover.
As mentioned above, many other laws may apply, depending on the individual circumstances of your case. If you were injured at sea, it’s important to seek out a knowledgeable and experienced personal injury lawyer who is familiar with these maritime laws. Our firm routinely handles maritime and offshore accident cases, including serious injuries and death at sea. Give us a call about your case to learn more about the laws that apply and your options for seeking compensation.
Hire the Firm that Is the First to Fight for You
Do you need advice about your rights after suffering a serious offshore oil rig or maritime injury? At Allen & Nunnally, we have a steadfast commitment to client service. Injured oil and gas workers and seamen trust us to fight for the compensation they deserve. We earn that trust by working tirelessly to achieve the best possible outcomes for our clients’ cases. To schedule a consultation with one of our Houston-based attorneys, use our convenient Contact Form, call (713) 955-2217, or email us at info@allen-nunnally.com.