After an offshore accident, an experienced attorney can help you negotiate insurance settlements or pursue a personal injury or wrongful death claim. The results of your case could drastically improve the quality of your life going forward.
Offshore and maritime work accidents can cause catastrophic injuries in remote and far-off locations. The safety protocols on ships, rigs, and other maritime workplaces are vital for avoiding preventable harm. If you or your loved one has been injured by an offshore accident, an experienced lawyer can help you recover.
When dealing with insurance representatives, large companies, and international business interests, you need an attorney who can help protect your rights. It’s also important to have an advocate acting swiftly on your behalf to secure evidence and file paperwork before the relevant deadlines run out.
Pierce Skrabanek is located in Houston, Texas, where our proximity to the Gulf Coast of the U.S. brings us to the aid of dock workers, rig operators, and sailors in need of advocacy. If you’ve been impacted by offshore scaffolding, transportation, or hazard-related injuries on the job, reach out to our offices at (832) 690-7000 for a free consultation. You are not alone, and you deserve to heal with dignity and in peace. Our lawyers are ready to help.
Offshore work on ships, rigs, and in the oil and gas industry come with a high risk of danger. The most common workplace accidents and offshore injuries are caused by:
The Centers for Disease Control points out that Fatalities in Oil and Gas Extraction (FOG) are most commonly caused by traumatic injuries like accidents, as well as work-related chronic illnesses like respiratory problems. While these fatalities are difficult to identify, a skilled attorney can help you secure the evidence needed for a wrongful death claim.
Any injuries sustained at work should be fully covered by insurance and workers’ compensation, but that is not always the case. Insurance companies are businesses that seek to retain money by denying claims, and employers are incentivized to avoid responsibility for costly harm.
By hiring a lawyer, you have an experienced litigator to bring to initial negotiations or to trial (if necessary) and account for the true cost of your losses.
Offshore accident claims could entail:
If the injuries suffered offshore cause or contribute to the person’s death, surviving loved ones may file a wrongful death lawsuit. Such funds can help secure the financial future of a family that lost a primary or sole breadwinner.
Should the employer or company be unwilling to settle and the case proceeds to trial, that could open punitive damages, which are additional funds meant to punish the other party, and then awarded to you in addition to your other proven damages.
It is illegal to fire or otherwise retaliate against an employee who files a workplace injury claim or complaint. However, that doesn’t mean your boss or company won’t attempt to do so anyway.
Pierce Skrabanek is located in Texas, where an employer may not terminate, demote, or otherwise discriminate against an employee for any of the above reasons. These protections also extend to individuals who are punished, threatened, or intimidated after reporting another person’s injury, or testifying in a proceeding related to their workplace injury case.
If you’re fired for suing over an injury or for accurately reporting on an offshore or maritime accident, including dock, pier, and shipyard incidents, your rights may have been violated. You would have the right to sue for wrongful termination as well as the other damages resulting from your injury.
The sooner you speak to a lawyer after an offshore accident, the better.
First, it’s important to secure evidence before it degrades or is potentially destroyed in order to protect the company instead of your best interests. Second, there are strict timelines for personal injury lawsuits — if you miss that window of opportunity, you could lose your right to all compensation, even if your case is strong. Third, it’s extremely important to protect your rights by having an attorney handle all communications with your employer so your words cannot be used against you.
The attorneys at Pierce Skrabanek have decades of experience protecting workers and delivering results for families in Texas, offshore, and nationwide. Our relevant verdicts and settlements include:
Comprehensive negotiations could secure you a fair settlement as soon as possible. If a full trial is required because the other side refuses to agree to an adequate amount, our results show that our prep work may prompt the opposing counsel to settle at the last minute. They know that cases we build are strong, and that a judge or jury’s decision could demand they award you far more in compensation than the fair amount we first demand.
If you need proven legal representation after an offshore, oil rig, or maritime injury, contact our offices online or by calling (832) 690-7000. At every step of the way, we work solely towards your best interests and needs. Whatever your case requires, the lawyers at Pierce Skrabanek will prepare all that is necessary to see your case through to a successful result.