Houston Offshore Injury Attorneys Fighting for Workers. No Matter What.
Anywhere there’s navigable water, there are offshore workers giving their all to make a living. Deckhands, oil and gas employees, and other workers face dangerous conditions every day. Companies know these dangers exist and are obligated to protect their people. Too often, they fail. When a preventable accident shatters a worker’s life and the company won’t do what’s right, Arnold & Itkin is there.
Workers call us when their lives are at stake and only a proven attorney will do. Delivering results is more than just our job. It’s our calling.
We’ve represented clients after devastating events across the globe: oil rig explosions and fires, dredging accidents, diving accidents, vessel collisions, crane failures, and more. From the Jones Act to the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, we know maritime law and have a strong track record of results. We serve clients from our offices in Houston, Dallas, Midland, San Antonio, Baton Rouge, and beyond.
If you were hurt offshore, call our Houston offshore injury attorneys now at (888) 493-1629 for a free consultation.
If you’ve been hurt in an offshore accident, call the offshore injury lawyers at Arnold & Itkin. When the other side isn’t being fair, we fight back. When oil and gas companies aren’t truthful, we catch their lies. When workers need results, our offshore injury attorneys work tirelessly to pursue them. No matter what.
Abogados de lesiones por accidentes marítimos y en alta mar en Houston
Trusted Nationwide for Catastrophic Offshore Accidents
When scenes of chaos in the maritime industry make the news, our phones start ringing. That’s not a coincidence. It reflects what we’ve built over two decades of representing offshore workers and their families after the highest-stakes disasters on the water.
When the Deepwater Horizon exploded, we refused to let some of the largest companies in the world shift blame to the crew. When the El Faro sailed into Hurricane Joaquin and sank on October 1, 2015, we fought to hold the company accountable.
Neither case was simple. Both ended with injured and grieving clients receiving fair compensation. These weren’t just wins for individual clients. The Deepwater Horizon blowout preventer failure and the El Faro sinking exposed systemic safety failures across entire maritime operations. Companies involved in catastrophic offshore events deploy large legal teams immediately. Our attorneys match that scale and then some, with some of history’s largest verdicts and settlements for offshore workers and their families to show for it.
Offshore Injury Attorneys Recognized by Clients & the Industry
There isn’t an oil corporation or maritime company we haven’t been able to effectively face and outwork. With attorneys recognized nationally by Forbes, Super Lawyers, and Best Lawyers, we have repeatedly pursued justice for injured offshore workers and their families.
Jason Itkin and Kurt Arnold hold membership in the Inner Circle of Advocates, one of the most selective honors in American law, reserved for the 100 best plaintiff’s lawyers in the nation. Both are also named to Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Lawyers in America” list, alongside Cory Itkin on the Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers guide. Arnold & Itkin has earned Tier 1 rankings in Best Law Firms® by Best Lawyers® in Houston for Admiralty and Maritime Law. Our Google reviews tell the same story: Texas personal injury lawyers who showed up for people in their hardest moments and helped them move forward.
Here are just some of the life-changing recoveries we’ve won for offshore workers and their families:
- $68 million won for a Texas offshore worker injured in a pipeline explosion.
- $29 million won in the largest known settlement for an offshore wrongful death.
- $16.9 million jury verdict in Harris County, TX, for an injured Jones Act seaman.
- $14 million settlement for tugboat workers hurt in an explosion off the Texas coast.
- $11.8 million settlement for the family of a barge worker killed in an explosion off the Texas Gulf Coast.
Supporting Houston’s Offshore Workforce After Serious Accidents
Houston’s energy sector places thousands of workers in offshore and near-shore maritime environments every day. The Port Houston Ship Channel handles more cargo tonnage than any other port in Texas, and the Gulf of Mexico drilling operations it supports employ workers across oil and gas drilling, dredging, and commercial diving. When something goes wrong in these environments, the legal questions are rarely simple.
Oil rig accidents near Houston can involve overlapping federal statutes. Which law applies depends on the worker’s role, the type of vessel, and where the accident occurred. Jones Act seaman rights cover crew members who spend a significant portion of their time aboard a vessel in navigation. The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act covers many shore-side and harbor workers who don’t qualify as seamen. The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act extends federal coverage to workers on fixed platforms on the outer continental shelf, where a two-year statute of limitations applies if Texas is the closest adjacent state. Our Houston offshore injury attorneys understand these distinctions and use them to pursue compensation available under the law.
We’re not just fighting for compensation; we’re fighting for the dignity and future of every client, holding powerful companies accountable for what they did or failed to do.
Gulf of Mexico Weather & Offshore Employer Accountability
Offshore companies can’t control Gulf Coast weather. What they can control is how they respond to it. The Gulf of Mexico sees hurricanes, tropical storms, and high winds that no fixed-platform or vessel crew should face without adequate preparation and evacuation planning. When employers ignore known storm forecasts, that failure can be the direct cause of preventable injuries and deaths.
The El Faro disaster made this concrete: employer decisions about weather routing sent 33 people to the bottom of the Atlantic. The crew of the Globetrotter II weathered Hurricane Ida in September 2021, with the vessel reportedly coming close to capsizing and everyone on board fearing for their lives. These aren’t abstract risks. They are documented failures with documented consequences. We understand Gulf Coast weather patterns and hold companies accountable when they fail to act, presenting our clients’ cases with the full factual and legal context they deserve.
What to Do After an Offshore Injury
The steps you take immediately after an offshore injury affect both your health and the strength of any legal claim you bring. Offshore companies dispatch their own investigators and legal teams the moment an incident is reported. Moving quickly on your side matters.
After an offshore accident, do the following:
- Seek medical attention right away, even if your injuries seem minor at first
- Report the injury to your supervisor and make sure it is logged in writing
- Document the scene: photographs, witness names and contact information, and the time and circumstances of what happened
- Don’t sign any releases, medical authorizations, or settlement documents before speaking with an attorney
- Don’t give recorded statements to company representatives or insurance adjusters without legal counsel present
- Contact an offshore injury attorney as early as possible to support evidence preservation
The Jones Act, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, and other maritime statutes each carry their own procedural requirements and deadlines. We can walk you through what applies to your situation and help you pursue compensation that reflects the full extent of your suffering and loss.
Types of Common Offshore Accidents
Whether massive corporations like Valaris, Schlumberger, or other employers were involved, or the accident happened in the Houston Ship Channel/Port Houston, the largest port in the state, we have the experience and resources to help. From incidents in Freeport and Galveston to oil rigs offshore, our Houston offshore injury attorneys can seek answers and demand accountability for you.
Offshore Fires & Explosions
Because of the combustible nature of drilling, offshore rigs carry significant risk of fires and explosions. These events are infrequent but typically the most catastrophic type of offshore accident. One of the most notable occurred in 2010 when the blowout preventer on the Deepwater Horizon failed, killing 11 workers and injuring 17 others. Fires and explosions can also stem from poorly maintained pipelines, improperly stored fuel, or vessel collisions. After an explosion, the vessel may sink. A fire can spread across an entire offshore platform within minutes, trapping workers with nowhere to go.
Oil Rig Injuries
Offshore oil drilling is dangerous work. The complex equipment required to drill at depth is a primary source of hazards, and many companies have far less offshore experience than they do with onshore operations. That gap increases the chances of an accident. According to data from the U.S. Minerals Management Service, a significant percentage of offshore accidents are caused by human error.
Oil rig operations demand attentive protocols to keep workers safe, but high turnover and long shifts create fatigue that makes errors more likely. Challenging weather and environmental conditions complicate things further. When those conditions result in injury, we’re here to pursue accountability and compensation.
Deck Accidents
The deck is one of the most active and hazardous areas on any vessel. Workers can be struck by heavy equipment, slip on a wet surface, or fall from an unsecured ladder. A sudden movement of the vessel can cause workers to lose their balance, resulting in back or head injuries.
Equipment Failure
Equipment on offshore vessels creates serious hazards. Limbs can get caught in machinery, workers can be pinned under a heavy load, and active equipment can burn or shock the people operating it. Regular maintenance and timely upgrades are legal obligations, not optional practices. When vessel owners cut corners, the unseaworthiness doctrine holds them responsible when a ship or its equipment isn’t reasonably fit for its intended purpose. We use every available legal theory to pursue the full recovery our clients may be entitled to.
Weather-Related Accidents & Capsizing
Offshore companies can’t control the weather, but they can protect their crews from storms they know are coming. Tropical storms and hurricanes present serious hazards for offshore workers and raise the risk of capsizing. The El Faro went down with her entire crew on October 1, 2015, after steaming straight into the path of Hurricane Joaquin. The crew of the Globetrotter II was left to weather Hurricane Ida in September 2021. Though no lives were lost, the vessel reportedly came close to capsizing, and everyone aboard thought they were going to die.
Advanced forecasting tools and robust emergency protocols can save lives when weather turns severe. Companies that fail to invest in those systems and make responsible decisions during adverse conditions may bear legal responsibility for what follows.
Barge & Tugboat Injuries
Tugboats must be extremely powerful to move barges, and that power brings added injury risk. Working on a tugboat while it’s attached to a barge is among the more dangerous work environments in the maritime industry.
Some of the most common accidents on tugboats and barges involve:
- Tow lines parting
- Handling heavy lines and shackles
- Equipment failure
- Crew negligence
- Slippery decks
- Falls overboard
When these incidents injure workers or claim their lives, our Texas offshore accident attorneys stand ready to protect their interests.
Distracted Mariners & Cell Phone Use at Sea
No two offshore cases are the same, and the causes of maritime negligence are as varied as the vessels on the water. One documented and growing cause is distracted mariners. Shipping accidents on navigable waters can occur when a navigator or crew member is distracted by a cell phone or wireless device. The U.S. Coast Guard has issued safety advisories warning the maritime industry about this risk, recommending that ship owners and operators develop policies limiting wireless device use during navigation, cargo loading, fueling, and other critical operations.
No matter the reason for the offshore accident that caused you harm, you can trust that we can go the distance to protect you and your family. We handle cases involving:
The National Transportation Safety Board has found that cell phone and mobile device use can slow response times, hinder performance, and increase attention lapses in safety-sensitive positions. In two NTSB investigations involving Coast Guard patrol boat collisions, crew members were texting or on calls at the time of the accident. One child was killed, and ten were injured.
The casual use of a cell phone or wireless device by a coworker or crew member before a serious offshore accident may reflect inadequate supervision or disregard for safety, and it may constitute evidence of negligence. The Coast Guard now recognizes the hazard of distracted mariners and has called on offshore employers to reduce preventable accidents.
Offshore Accident Fault & Compensation
Determining fault in an offshore accident requires a thorough investigation of employer negligence, equipment maintenance records, safety regulation compliance, and witness accounts. The Jones Act is relatively worker-favorable: it requires only that employer negligence played any part in causing the injury, a lower bar than general negligence standards. Witness statements, inspection reports, and safety records are often what establish that threshold.
Injured seamen may also be entitled to maintenance and cure, a distinct maritime remedy that provides daily living expenses and medical care until the worker reaches maximum medical improvement, regardless of fault. Compensation in offshore cases can include medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and, in some cases, punitive damages. Workers not covered by the Jones Act may have claims under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act or the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, depending on their role and where the incident occurred.
We meticulously document and argue negligence factors across every applicable legal theory, seeking compensation that reflects the full extent of our clients’ suffering and loss, not whatever amount the company is willing to offer first.
We’re Prepared to Do the Work It Takes to Change Lives
Whether someone needs help after an explosion at sea, a collision in a channel, or an accident on a dock, we’re ready. When we take a case, we’re committed to investigating the accident, seeking accountability, and fighting for the results our clients deserve. We don’t give up, regardless of how long it takes. Some firms dread difficult cases and will accept a cheap settlement to move on. We aren’t that firm. Dedication and commitment are the only things that produce true results, and we know results matter.
We work on a contingency basis: clients don’t pay anything unless we win a verdict or settlement on their behalf, including all services and litigation expenses.
To discuss your rights and options with a Texas offshore injury lawyer, call (888) 493-1629 or fill out our online contact form.
