Edinburg Offshore Injury Lawyers
Our Edinburg Offshore Accident Firm Has Recovered Billions for Clients
Going offshore to make a living almost always mean facing danger. Whether a person works on a cargo ship or on an offshore oil rig, their job has risks that aren’t associated with jobs that are on land. However, having dangerous characteristics doesn’t make offshore accidents acceptable. Since the dangers of working offshore are well known, companies are responsible for making sure their employees are protected by them.
Offshore accidents cause injuries that change a person’s life forever. They trigger medical bills, lost wages, and impact a worker’s ability to make a living as they once did. No one deserves to live with the financial uncertainty caused by offshore injuries, and Arnold & Itkin LLP is ready to help make sure that they don’t have to. Our Edinburg offshore injury lawyers are ready to investigate accidents and fight to hold companies accountable for failing to prevent them. Our mission is to be the advocates that workers deserve after preventable accidents.
Call our Edinburg offshore injury lawyers today at (888) 493-1629 for a free consultation.
What Causes an Offshore Accident?
Negligence on the part of a company is usually the cause of offshore accidents. Companies are responsible for maintaining vessels, training employees, providing safety procedures, and taking any other step required to protect workers from harm. When a company fails to provide any of these things, preventable accidents unfairly change the lives of workers and their families. For example, when the company that operated the El Faro sent the massive vessel into the center of a storm, the ship and its entire crew disappeared. After the company failed to do what was right and take care of the families of their workers, Arnold & Itkin LLP stepped in to make a difference. Our team fought to show that the company could have prevented the tragedy. While nothing could bring back their loved ones, we fought to earn the compensation the families of lost crewmembers needed.
Types of Offshore Injuries
Working over the water presents many dangers to workers. Unstable deck conditions, dangerous equipment, hazardous materials, and other risks cause serious injuries to offshore workers. These injuries are serious because their painful, are costly to recover from, and change the rest of a person’s life.
Common offshore injuries include the following:
- Burns
- Back injuries
- Loss of a limb
- Broken bones
- Disfigurement
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Head trauma
- Crushing injuries
- Impalements
- And more
While all these injuries are different, they all have one thing in common: workers shouldn’t suffer financially from them. The companies that fail to protect workers should be held accountable, and our Edinburg offshore injury lawyers make sure they are by fighting for the compensation that a person deserves and needs after suffering from a preventable offshore accident.
How the Jones Act Helps Edinburg Offshore Injuries
For years, offshore workers were at the mercy of their employers when it came to safety. While maritime law required vessel owners to pay for the medical bills and cost of living associated with an injury, they only had to pay until a worker was as recovered as possible. This was known as maintenance and cure. Then, in 1920, the Merchant Marine Act was passed. Commonly referred to as the Jones Act, this law enables injured offshore workers to pursue their employer for the full scope of their financial damages after an accident. In other words, this law enables workers to pursue compensation that they need after an injury changes the course of their life.
Damages that can be recovered by the Jones Act include:
- Lost wages
- Medical bills
- Pain and suffering
- The cost of future care
- A loss of the ability to work
- Funeral expenses
- Loss of consortium
- And more
Offshore Injury FAQ
Should I Sign Anything After My Offshore Accident?
Never. Sometimes, offshore workers mistakenly believe they can trust their company after an accident. While expecting a company that you’ve worked at for years to take care of you isn’t unreasonable, it’s rarely what happens. Instead, companies will offer low settlements that, once accepted by workers, frees them from further liability. Before accepting a settlement or signing anything from your company, it’s important to talk to the Edinburg offshore injury attorneys from Arnold & Itkin LLP.
What Are Jones Act Vessels & Seamen?
The Jones Act defines what type of vessel and what type of offshore worker qualify to use it. Simply put, a Jones Act vessel must be in navigable waters.
Common Jones Act vessels include:
- Oil rigs
- Shipping vessels
- Barges
- Dredges
- Tugboats
- Fishing boats
Jones Act seamen are workers on a vessel who contribute to its function or mission. For example, a fisherman is a Jones Act seaman because they contribute to a fishing boat’s purpose of catching fish for commerce.
What Are Common Offshore Accidents?
The offshore economy is large and has many types of jobs. Accidents during all types of offshore work are preventable, making any of them unacceptable for workers to suffer from.
Common types of offshore accidents include the following:
- Diving accidents
- Barge & dredge accidents
- Crane failures
- Explosions & fires
- Vessel collisions
- Lifting accidents
When an Edinburg offshore worker sustains injuries from an accident such as one listed above, the most important thing for them to do is to prove liability. At Arnold & Itkin LLP, we’ll work to investigate what happened to you and show that someone could have prevented your injuries.
Call the Edinburg Offshore Accident That Fights for Clients No Matter What
At Arnold & Itkin LLP, our firm has a history of fighting companies when they refuse to treat their workers right after an offshore accident. Time and time again, we’ve been there to protect workers, fight for the compensation that they deserve, and demand accountability from some of the largest companies in the industry. Our team knows that our work can change lives and we never accept less than a client deserves as a result.
When you turn to us, we’ll work to make sure you’re taken care of after an accident. While nothing can change what you’ve been through, our Edinburg offshore injury lawyers will fight for compensation that solves problems related to medical bills, lost wages, and a decreased ability to make a living as you once did.
Call us now at (888) 493-1629 to find out how our Edinburg offshore injury lawyers fight for clients. The consultation is free!