Offshore and Maritime Accidents
Offshore and maritime workers operate in high-stress and often dangerous environments. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, “[w]orkers in marine terminals and port operations have higher fatality, injury and illness rates than other workers in the U.S.” But the fact that the offshore and maritime industry can be dangerous does not justify or excuse accidents caused by someone else’s mistake or carelessness, or a company’s decision to put profits over safety.
If you or a loved one were seriously injured or killed in an offshore or maritime accident, contact our Houston offshore and maritime accident lawyers for a free, confidential case consultation. If we take your case, we will fight to get you maximum compensation for your injuries. We work on a contingency fee, which means that you don’t pay anything unless we obtain a settlement or win your case at trial.
We take all types of offshore and maritime accidents, including:
- tugboat accidents
- barge accidents
- oil rig accidents
- fire and explosions
- slips, trips, and falls
- collisions
- electrical contact and electrocution
- heavy machinery and equipment failures
- toxic exposure
- dropped objects
- basket transfer injuries
- crane and hoisting injuries
- helicopter crashes
We represent all types of injured offshore and maritime workers
We take cases on behalf of all types of offshore and maritime workers, including offshore oil and gas workers such as operators, drillers, roustabouts, derrickhands, and pipefitters. We represent seamen such as electricians, oilers, fitters, wipers, boatswain, coxswain, masters, mates, pilots, barge, crew boat, and tugboat workers. We also represent port and harbor workers, such as longshoreman, stevedores, operators, and harbor masters.
What is the Jones Act?
The Jones Act, formally known as the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, provides a seaman with a negligence action against his or her employer with a right to trial by jury. The Jones Act is a federal law that governs maritime commerce in U.S. waters and between U.S. ports. Before the Jones Act, an injured seaman had limited remedies against their employer. If you were injured on a vessel, call our Houston Jones Act attorneys for a free, confidential case evaluation.
What is the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act?
The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (“LHWCA”) provides workers’ compensation for persons other than seamen engaged in maritime employment. This compensation is generally provided regardless whether the injured worker was at fault. The compensation can include medical expenses, disability benefits, rehabilitation benefits, and a percentage of the injured worker’s average weekly wage. The injured worker may also have claims for injuries caused by non-employers that would not be covered by the LHWCA.
What is the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act?
The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act extends the LHWCA’s compensation benefits to offshore workers engaged in oil and gas operations on the Outer Continental Shelf. If the offshore worker’s injuries were caused by a non-employer, then the offshore worker may have other claims and remedies available.
Can I bring a wrongful death lawsuit?
The Death on the High Seas Act (“DOHSA”) provides a claim to specific beneficiaries of a seaman or offshore worker who dies on the high seas more than three miles from the shore. Before DOHSA, the beneficiaries, including the deceased’s spouse, parent, child, or dependent relative, could not bring a claim for wrongful death. Under DOHSA, beneficiaries can recover loss of support, loss of services, loss of nurture, guidance, care, and instruction, loss of inheritance, and funeral expenses.
What is seaworthiness?
Every ship must pass tests to ensure that it can travel safely on the open water before it can be deemed “seaworthy.” The vessel owner or operator owes a duty to seamen to provide a seaworthy vessel. If the vessel is unseaworthy and the unseaworthiness causes a seaman’s injury or death, the vessel owner can be liable to the seaman.