If you are a maritime worker and have been injured in a ship accident in the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi River or an inland waterway, you need a skilled Jones Act attorney on your side. The maritime attorneys at Gordon & Elias, L.L.P., have helped numerous maritime workers recover from a serious accident. We also assist families who have lost a loved one in a fatal maritime accident.
The law office of Gordon & Elias, L.L.P., focuses on ensuring that injured Jones Act seamen receive the compensation they deserve after a serious injury. We are skilled at analyzing ship accidents and determining whether a marine employer’s negligence entitles you to seek compensation.
The attorneys at Gordon & Elias, L.L.P., represent clients across the Gulf in claims involving the Jones Act, Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act and the Fishing Vessel Safety Act. If you have been injured in any type of ship accident, including one involving an offshore supply vessel, crew boat, fast supply boat, tanker, tugboat, barge or fishing vessel, it’s important to make the right call when choosing a Louisiana maritime and admiralty law attorney.
Call 800-773-6770 or fill out the online contact form to receive a free initial consultation. You’ll know you’ve made the right call after speaking with Mr. Gordon or Mr. Elias. They answer phone calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Ship Injury Jones Act Attorney
Serious accidents occur on all types of ships and vessels, including crew boats, offshore supply vessels, oceangoing ships, oil tankers, tugboats, towboats, commercial fishing boats, dredges and jackups. Falls, collisions, falling objects and equipment failures cause many preventable maritime injuries and fatalities in the Gulf of Mexico each year.
If you are a Jones Act seaman and you have been injured while working on a ship in the Gulf of Mexico or on the Mississippi River, you may have legal rights to compensation under federal maritime law. After any serious marine vessel injury, you may be facing substantial medical bills and time off work without income. It’s important to understand your legal rights, including your rights to maintenance and cure. Families of maritime workers who die in preventable accidents aboard ships may be entitled to compensation as well. A Jones Act lawyer at Gordon & Elias, L.L.P., will review your maritime accident at no charge and provide legal advice about your right to compensation.
Louisiana Ship Injury Lawyers
Maritime workers and Jones Act seamen who are seriously injured while in the service of a ship have legal rights whether the accident occurred on an inland waterway, a harbor, the Mississippi River, in the Gulf of Mexico or in other offshore area.
Accidents are covered under the Jones Act and general maritime law on many types of ships and commercial vessels including:
- Crew boats—They are the shuttle buses of the offshore oil industry, ferrying offshore workers from ports such as Port Fourchon and Intracoastal City to offshore rigs and platforms. But injuries frequently occur during crew transfers in rough seas. A boat may move unexpectedly if struck by a large wave, causing a worker to fall. Many workers suffer back injuries, shoulder injuries and leg injuries during transfers in a personnel transfer capsule, a Billy Pugh basket, or in an Esvagt device.
- Offshore Supply Vessels —OSVs deliver supplies, equipment, cargo and industrial fluids to offshore rigs and platforms in the Gulf. But the transfers of cargo, often involving a crane or hoist, are dangerous for cargo handlers, riggers and spotters. A crew member may suffer a head injury, a back injury or traumatic brain injury from the block of a crane, or from a swinging load or a dropped load on the cargo deck.
- Tugboats and towboats— Many deckhands, mates, able bodied seamen and other crew are injured on tugboats and towboats by falls on deck, falls from unguarded ledges, being struck by a moving object, equipment failures, getting an arm or leg entangled in towing cables, and being crushed by objects. A seaman may get an arm or leg pinned between barges during barge fleeting if the vessel moves unpredictably or gets loose. A tankerman may get burned if a fire or explosion occurs during bunkering service or may be overcome by toxic fumes.
- Fishing boats—Many mates and crew on commercial fishing vessels and shrimpers are killed or suffer serious injuries as a result of the vessel’s sinking or capsizing. Slipping and falling on a deck covered in fish slime or oil can cause a serious back injury or hip injury. Getting a finger or hand entangled in heavy-duty winches that haul nets can cause a loss of limb.
- Jackups— Jack up rigs, MODUs and towed oil rigs are generally considered vessels in navigation, giving injured crew legal rights under the Jones Act. Fires, explosions, equipment failures, falls and swinging pipes can cause serious traumatic and catastrophic injuries aboard jackups and other offshore platform vessels.
- Dredges— A crane boom on a dredge may strike a deckhand, causing severe head or back injuries or nerve damage. Many dredge workers qualify as land-based maritime workers or Jones Act seamen under the law and have a legal right to sue a negligent employer or dredge owner for compensation for a preventable injury.
- Tankers and Container Vessels—Crew are vulnerable to many types of serious injuries, including head injuries, back injuries and brain injuries on oceangoing vessels. Many suffer burns, falls from heights and amputations. Workers may be crushed if improperly loaded cargo shifts in transit, or they may be struck by industrial equipment such as cranes and forklifts.
Many avoidable accidents are caused by the disregard for safety by ship owners and maritime employers. Ship owners have a legal duty to provide a seaworthy vessel. Offshore employers have a legal duty to provide workers a safe place to work free of known hazards. When they fail to fulfill their legal obligations, they should be held accountable.
