What Our Lafayette Offshore Lawyers Help With
When employers overlook safety measures or allow work to be done in unsafe conditions, our Lafayette offshore injury attorneys are here to hold them accountable for their negligent actions. Regardless of whether you or a loved one works on an oil rig, commercial fishing vessel, or a barge, offshore work is demanding. Seamen have to contend with high-stakes work under tough conditions, including storms, hurricanes, heights, heavy equipment, or long shifts. As a result, offshore workers have unique and specific rights regarding their health after an accident.
We're Experienced Maritime Lawyers in Lafayette
For centuries, maritime law has governed how offshore workers are treated after accidents. However, these old laws haven't aged well with the maritime industry. Concepts such as maintenance and cure were crucial to helping workers get the medical care they needed.
While traditional maritime laws helped workers with the immediate costs of an accident, they failed to account for the complete impact one has on a person. Often, maritime workers found themselves dealing with lasting health problems and financial difficulty. Meanwhile, their negligent employers faced little repercussions and never had incentives to increase the safety standards on their vessels. Because of this, the United States has a set of laws that help workers who've been injured while working at sea or in the maritime industry. These laws make sure one thing is possible when a company fails to prevent an accident: accountability.
American laws that help maritime workers include:
Each of these laws allow offshore workers or their families to seek compensation from ship owners who were either negligent or whose vessels were unseaworthy, resulting in injury or death. Our Lafayette maritime attorneys have represented countless Jones Act claims and other offshore cases, including nearly a third of the Deepwater Horizon crew in 2010 or widows of the El Faro sinking in 2015. We’re committed to helping offshore workers get the money they need for medical care, lost wages, and other losses. No matter what.
We've helped after offshore incidents such as:
- Explosions
- Vessel collisions
- Capsizing
- Slip and fall accidents
- Drownings
- Toxic exposure
- Basket transfer accidents
- Sinkings
How Maritime Injuries Are Different Than Those That Happen on Land
Getting help from an experienced maritime law firm is important. While any personal injury lawyer can take a maritime injury case, it's crucial to make sure you're getting help from one that understands maritime law and the offshore laws of the United States.
Our Lafayette maritime attorneys have a history of getting the results that offshore workers deserve. We do this thanks to our understand of the unique laws that govern offshore work as well as our dedication to never backing down from a fight. While offshore companies often have significant resources, our maritime lawyers refuse to be intimidated by a challenge.
Our Lafayette Offshore Lawyers Help After Boat Accidents
With so much commercial activity taking place in the Gulf—international and domestic trade, oil transportation, fishing, and more—boat accidents are a serious risk. As a maritime law firm that's based in the Gulf Coast, we help with any accidents involving all types of vessels.
Our Lafayette offshore injury lawyers handle cases involving vessels such as:
- Oil rigs
- Oil platforms
- Drill ships
- Cargo ships
- Barges
- Dredges
- Tug boats
- Lift boats
- Recreational boats
- Cruise ships
Crews have to contend with other vessels, accidents aboard their own vessel, and even natural disasters. It’s under these conditions that our clients have suffered catastrophic injuries of all kinds, robbing them of their lives or livelihoods.
We’ve investigated catastrophic offshore injuries like:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
- Spinal cord injuries
- Paralysis
- Amputation
- Burns
- Wrongful death
Offshore Explosions: One of the Most Devastating Types of Maritime Accidents
While there are plenty of life-changing accidents that never get reported in the news, sometimes there are incidents so devastating that they affect entire communities. Often, these accidents involve explosions due to the relationship the maritime industry has with oil and gas exploration. Our offshore explosion attorneys have experience working on accidents that are so significant that they make national headlines.
In fact, we represented more than a third of the crew of the Deepwater Horizon after the oil rig exploded and triggered one of the worst offshore disasters in United States history. Our maritime explosion attorneys fought to make sure the crew was treated right and that they weren't forced to take the blame for an accident they didn't cause.
Oil rig explosions are often caused by:
- Fires
- Blowouts
- Equipment failure/improper maintenance
- Inadequate training
- Dangerous sea conditions
- Negligence
Offshore explosions are particularly devastating for the toll they take on workers and their families. Survivors of these accidents often have severe injuries that will change the rest of their lives. If a person survives an explosion with no physical injuries, they likely still have emotional trauma that can be just as life-altering. When offshore explosions kill workers, their families are often left with a list of financial uncertainties.
Other Types of Offshore Accidents
While offshore explosions often make headlines, they're certainly not the only type of accident that offshore workers experience. Working in the maritime industry means facing many types of hazards at once. Adverse weather, dangerous seas, and inadequately maintained vessels mean that workers face the risk of injury if they aren't protected by their employers.
Common types of accidents our Lafayette offshore attorneys help with include:
Our Lafayette Offshore Injury Attorneys Have a History of Results
BP. ExxonMobil. Transocean. TOTE Maritime. We’ve won against giant corporations because we’re not afraid of a fight. We pour every resource we have into holding negligent companies accountable, showing them that no person’s life is expendable. As a result, companies find that it’s better to offer our clients fair compensation upfront rather than take us on in court. Our past victories include cases from the Deepwater Horizon explosion, the sinking of the El Faro, and countless others. In total, we’ve secured over $20 billion for our clients. Whatever you’re facing, Arnold & Itkin can fight for you. No matter what.
Our law firm is known for fighting until clients are treated right, and we're just a call away. Dial (888) 493-1629 today to speak with a Lafayette offshore injury attorney at no cost.
