Jones Act Law Can Provide Assistance to Victims Of Maritime Or Offshore Job Accident Injuries
The job of laboring on an offshore oil rig or floating platform has inherent dangers. Offshore employees must deal with cumbrous, heavy equipment. They must work from great heights and for long hours. Moreover, they must face the natural elements of the high waters, where weather can be terrible. But maybe their worst threat is when an employer overlooks safety measures.
Such neglectfulness is the foundation of several lawsuits lodged by two living offshore employees and a deceased worker’s family after a stringent ordeal in September in the Gulf of Mexico. That’s when the jack-up rig or liftboat on which the men were conducting seismic tests began to sink in the Bay of Campeche off the coast of Mexico, primarily because of Tropical Storm Nate’s approach.
The offshore employees had to escape, nevertheless their employers were unable to handle this for them. In fact, a “backup” vessel nearby turned and headed to port rather than picking them up. That left the workers with only a small life boat — with no water or food, and not big enough for all to be on board. So the men took turns hanging off the side of the raft and in the water.
Rescue teams tried to look for them for 3 days until the Mexican naval forces eventually located them. One offshore employee became lost at sea but his body subsequently was located. Two of the men passed away on the raft, and a fourth man died onshore in a hospital when brought there after the rescue.
Ensuing lawsuits seek monetary restitution from three companies: Trinity Liftboat Services of New Iberia, LA, proprietor and operator of the liftboat; Geokinetics, Inc. of Houston, TX, which had authorized the men’s seismic tests; and Mermaid Marine Australia Ltd., proprietor of the standby vessel.
Such tragedies are given unique protections under a federal maritime law written in 1920, the Jones Act. Initially recognized as the Merchant Marine Act, it allows seamen, navy men, maritime workers and now offshore employees who work on waters to sue employers for neglectfulness following a workplace injury accident as a result of their negligence. Victims or their surviving family members can seek economic recovery for medical expenses, funeral expenses, lost present and future wage and pain and suffering.
The giant energy companies and those with which they are affiliated with are legally liable for the safety of the people they hire. When they permit safety measures to lapse and thus put workers in danger, such employees have a legal right, when injured, to sue them by making use of the Jones Act.
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Wounded offshore or maritime employees may be asking: Where can I find a Jones Act lawyer? They can begin by contacting the longtime Jones Act Lawyer Jim S. Adler & Associates. Either by visiting its Texas-JonesActLawyer.com website or calling toll-free to 1-800-566-3434, they can discover more info pertaining to their chances for a successful Jones Act lawsuit.
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