Cole, Cole, Easley, and Sciba Trial Attorneys can help you if you live in Victoria but have been injured in a maritime accident. Offshore work isn’t easy, because it means heavy equipment, dangerous machinery, long shifts, and unpredictable conditions. When something goes wrong, the injuries can be serious—and figuring out what you’re supposed to do next isn’t always a straight line. We can guide you through it all. Set up a free consultation today.
Does a Lawyer Make Sense For Me?
Working offshore already brings a lot of challenges, and that only increases when you get hurt. All of a sudden, on top of the already demanding life you live, you’re also dealing with pain and questions about how you’re going to pay your bills. And all that comes before your bosses start asking questions and making things tough for you. That’s usually the point when talking to a lawyer makes more sense, and that’s exactly where our team can step in. When we do, we can:
- Explain your options and what your rights are
- Figure out what caused your injuries and who might be responsible
- Get important information and evidence before it disappears
- Handle the back-and-forth with your bosses and the insurance company
- File a claim and help you get the financial support you need to move forward
Even more than regular injuries, ones that happen offshore get complicated quickly. There’s a lot of different moving parts in these types of situations, and they all point the finger at one another. That makes it difficult to even know where to turn, but with our team, we take all that on for you. That gives you the space to heal and get back to work.
What Kind of Maritime Work Is Common Around Victoria?
Like a lot of other cities around the Gulf, Victoria has plenty of people that work offshore. Most of them work on:
- Drilling rigs
- Production platforms
- Jack-up rigs
- Drillships
- Supply vessels
- Crew boats
- Construction barges
- Pipeline vessels
- Offshore service vessels
No matter where you work offshore, though, there’s one constant: danger. Frequently, that means injuries through:
- Slips, trips, or falls because of wet decks, uneven surfaces, loose equipment, or cluttered walkways.
- Tools, equipment, or materials falling from above when they’re not secured properly.
- Collisions with other boats, platforms, or structures, causing dangerous accidents and severe injuries.
- Fires and explosions when equipment fails, electrical problems happen, or flammable materials aren’t handled properly.
- Falls overboard because of unsafe conditions, inadequate safety equipment, or failures in proper safety procedures.
- Broken machinery, defective tools, and poor equipment maintenance.
- Injuries or illnesses after being exposed to hazardous chemicals, gases, or other dangerous materials.
Obviously, just because the work is dangerous doesn’t mean your particular injuries weren’t preventable. In fact, a lot of these scenarios happen precisely because the people in charge didn’t take the steps necessary to make sure you and the rest of your coworkers are safe. That doesn’t make the situation any easier, but it does point to information that can help you.
Information That Can Help You After Your Accident
Right after an offshore accident, the last thing you’re probably thinking about is evidence. You’re focused on the right things: your health and safety.
But the truth is, it’s a crucial time. The first thing you should do is:
- Report the accident to a supervisor, safety officer, or someone in charge so you can get the medical attention you need.
That’s going to be an important step, but if you’re able and it’s safe, you should also try to get a few basic things like:
- Pictures or videos of where you were injured, any damaged equipment, unsafe conditions, and your injuries.
- Details about what happened, especially the date, time, location, and exactly what you were doing when the accident happened. Instead of saying “I was hurt on the rig,” try to remember details like “I was working on the drilling floor when the equipment failed” or “I slipped on the deck while moving equipment.”
- Names and contact information of coworkers who saw the accident happen or helped afterward It’s also a good idea to keep names and contact information of anyone who was responsible for the worksite, safety procedures, or accident response.
Once you’re away from the offshore site and focused on recovering, the evidence becomes more about documenting how your injury affects your life. Try to keep track of:
- Medical records and treatment information that links your injuries to the accident. THey’ll also show how your condition changes over time, what treatment you need, and how the injury affects your recovery.
- Pay records and missed work detailing missed shifts, lost wages, reduced hours, or any work you can’t do anymore.
- Emails and text messages with supervisors, managers, or company representatives.
- Pictures of your injuries as they heal.
Understanding what caused your accident is often one of the first steps in determining who may be responsible. And in offshore cases, that usually starts with looking at how these accidents happen in the first place.
Who’s Responsible for My Offshore Injuries?
This is one of the biggest and hardest questions to answer with any injury, but especially if you’re working offshore. Not only are there a lot of different companies working in the same place, but there’s also extra legal rules at play in this kind of scenario.
Not only are there federal maritime laws, but there’s one specific one that applies to this exact scenario. It’s called the “Jones Act” and what it does is give qualifying workers protection if their injuries happened due to someone else’s negligence.
Basically, it means that companies and others in charge can’t hide behind international waters or any other situation where they don’t keep you reasonably safe—or in other words, the exact things that lead to injuries in this type of situation.
So when you get hurt, you figure out who’s responsible the same way you would if you were in a car accident or a slip-and-fall here in town. You have to show that there was:
- A duty of care to keep you reasonably safe
- That duty was breached by someone’s negligence
- That negligence led directly to your injuries
- Your injuries resulted in losses and other damages
So while it comes down to specifics, legal responsibility for what happened to you typically falls on:
- The company you work for
- The owner or operator of the vessel you were working on
- The oil and gas company overseeing the operation
- Offshore drilling contractors
- Other contractors or subcontractors on the jobsite
- Companies that made or sold defective equipment
- Maintenance companies
- Transportation companies operating crew boats or supply vessels
Obviously, this can get a lot murkier in the aftermath of your accident. But the reality is that with the Jones Act, you have options for getting financial help for whatever injuries you’re left with.
How Do I Get Financial Help After an Offshore Injury?
Getting injured while working offshore can turn your life upside down. One day you’re working your normal shift, and the next you’re dealing with medical appointments, missed paychecks, and questions about whether you’ll ever be able to return to the job you had before.
That’s where the Jones Act comes in, which works a lot like a normal injury claim where you can:
- File an insurance claim outside of court
- File a personal injury lawsuit
Once it’s filed, you can recover “damages” built around:
- Medical expenses related to your injury
- Lost wages and reduced earning ability
- Future medical treatment
- Pain and suffering
- Permanent disability
- Other costs connected to your injury
Another positive with the Jones Act is that it gives you longer to file. You have three years from the date of the accident to file, but as with any injury claim, it’s usually best to move sooner than later.
- Maintenance and Cure claim. This works like traditional workers’ compensation, where you have to report your injury within seven days and fill out a report form. Once that’s done, you can get benefits like:
- Doctor visits and medical treatment
- Medication and rehabilitation
- A portion of your living expenses while you’re unable to work
For a lot of maritime workers in Victoria, an injury is the last thing you can afford. But it’s something that can happen pretty easily, especially when your company tries to cut safety corners.
Get Help From Cole, Cole, Easley, and Sciba After a Maritime Injury in Victoria, TX
When you’re dealing with an offshore injury, the last thing you should have to worry about is trying to figure out complicated maritime laws on your own. Between your recovery, your bills, and questions about your future, there is already enough to handle.
That’s where our team at Cole, Cole, Easley, and Sicba Trial Attorneys comes in. We’ll help explain your options under the Jones Act and maritime law, look into what happened, and help you understand what steps to take next. Reach out today to set up a free consultation.
