Offshore accidents in rigs, ships, tankers, boats, barges, and other vessels put its workers in some of the harshest working conditions imaginable.
As a result, despite efforts to maintain safety, offshore incidents are common off the coast of Houston and throughout the Gulf of Mexico.
You are entitled to compensation if you have been injured in an offshore accident, and the company must be held legally responsible for your injuries.
The company should provide you with all necessary financial assistance with your sustained injuries.
What Are The Common Offshore Accidents
There are a lot of offshore accidents, but the most common ones are reported.
Tragedy on offshore oil rigs
Offshore oil rigs can be extremely dangerous. Individuals may be isolated due to large-scale disasters such as:
- equipment and machinery failures
- fires
- explosions
- toxic spills.
Injuries from offshore drilling
Many companies may not provide ample safety measures to keep their employees safe while working on an offshore rig.
This increases the risk of their workers’ loss of life and injury.
Fires and explosions
These are two of the most dangerous types of offshore disasters. Often, these are caused by improperly maintained equipment, improperly stored flammable materials, and vessel encounters that can all contribute to these disasters.
Failure of equipment
Workers can be burned, shocked, or injured due to damaged or malfunctioning equipment.
Falling
Workers on offshore rigs and ships often access high and exposed areas. This environment increases their risk because they can fall from great heights, especially during lousy weather.
Items at risk of falling
Heavy objects and materials dropped or falling on an offshore employee can cause the following, especially if they are suspended from great heights:
- head trauma
- crush injuries
Problems with the equipment
Equipment can crush persons, resulting in injuries such as broken bones and body parts. Crush injuries can occur when workers become entangled in machinery or are crushed by vehicles such as forklifts or boats.
Toxins
Offshore platforms, such as oil and gas installations, are frequently contaminated with hazardous chemicals. As a result, employees may be exposed to harmful pollutants.
More so, if these substances are not properly stored or transported, which can result in debilitating or even fatal diseases and other medical issues.
Helicopters
Individuals are routinely flown in and out of offshore platforms and ships. As a result of pilot error, poor maintenance, design or manufacturing flaws, and stormy weather or sea conditions, collisions are a serious concern.
Boat accidents
Individuals may sustain injuries from barges and tugboats. In addition, fires and explosions, electrocution shocks, or crush injuries can be maintained while boarding or disembarking from other boats.
Why Are Offshore Platforms Dangerous Workplaces?
Because offshore sites make individuals vulnerable to various injuries. Here’s a list of some of the most common injuries sustained in offshore accidents:
- Fractures of the bones
- Back and neck pain
- Amputations
- Head trauma
- TBI
- Burns
- Electrocution
- Internal organ dysfunction
- Crush injuries
- Infectious or toxic chemical and substance exposure
How to Protect Your Rights if an Offshore Accident Occurs
First, report the incident and your injuries following an offshore incident. When injured, immediately notify your employer or the owner-operator of the platform, rig, or vessel where the accident occurred.
Supervisors or other personnel are in charge of conducting an investigation and compiling an accident report. Please request a copy of this document.
Obtain contact and insurance information from your employer and the offshore facility’s owner-operator. This will aid you and your Houston offshore accident attorney in your claim investigation and prosecution.
Eyewitnesses can help prove your claim. Thus, obtain written statements from eyewitnesses as soon as possible as memories fade with time.
In addition, obtain the following information immediately:
- contact and insurance information from your employer
- contact and insurance information offshore site’s owner-operator
This will aid you and your offshore accident lawyer in investigating and prosecuting your injury claim.
Take photos or video of the accident scene, including anything that caused your injuries, the safety measures in place, and the lighting, weather, and visual conditions. If your collision was captured on surveillance video, make a copy if possible.
Request a complete physical examination with your doctor even if you don’t believe you’ve been seriously injured.
Someone can experience discomfort or other signs of harm days or weeks after the accident.
A doctor can determine the extent of your injuries and establish a link between them and your offshore accident.
However, these experts can be biased against you in favor of your employer or insurance carrier.
Therefore, request to see a doctor not affiliated with your company or insurance plan for an unbiased assessment of your injury.
Compensation for Offshore Accidents
If you were injured while working on an offshore installation, you could receive compensation under the Jones Act or the Longshore, also known as the Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act.
The benefits under this will be determined by your employment and wound site. Compensation rules ensure that maritime workers are compensated for losses such as:
Medical expenses incurred from your offshore accident for treating work-related injuries and illnesses.
- Wages are lost due to time away from work to recover from an injury or illness.
- Expenses for living while recovering
- Future earning potential is lost.
- Psychological problems, physical discomfort, and even disfigurement
If your previous job rendered you disabled, you might be eligible for vocational rehabilitation.
Depending on the circumstances of your accident, you may also be able to file a personal injury claim against a person or entity whose negligence, recklessness, or other legal fault caused your injuries.
In a personal injury claim, you may be able to recover compensation for the following:
- Past, present, and future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Potential earnings squandered
- Suffering and agony
- Physical disability
- Disfigurement
- Lost pleasure or life quality
- Compensates for your spouse for losing you due to your injuries.
Ensure to look for a reliable Houston offshore accident attorney to review your case and advise you on the types of compensation you may be eligible for.
Offshore accident lawyers work hard to make the claims process as simple as possible for you.
Furthermore, they assist you in obtaining the funds from your claim by:
- Thoroughly investigating your accident.
- Saving essential evidence for your cases (accident reports, eyewitness statements, scene photos, and surveillance footage)
- Working with accident industry experts to determine how your accident happened and who was at fault.
- Identifying responsible parties and potential compensation sources (such as layered corporate liability insurance policies).
- Pursues total and fair compensation by filing compensation claims on your behalf.
- If necessary, prepare your claim to be filed as a lawsuit in court and vigorously advocate your case at trial.
How Long Will An Offshore Accident Claim Take?
You are only given three years to file a claim against your employer under the Jones Act for injuries sustained in an offshore accident.
Following that, you can file a Jones Act claim only if your employer is to blame for your offshore accident and injuries.
However, some offshore accidents have secondary causes, such as defective equipment, machinery, or materials on an offshore site or rig.
As a result, under Texas law, you may be able to file a product liability lawsuit in those circumstances.
On the other hand, the statute of limitations for claims against a party involved with the following is two years from the date of the accident:
- manufactures
- distributes
- sells
- installs the product
Or it can also be the date you should have discovered your injury.
Similarly, you have two years if a third party’s negligence caused your offshore accident and injuries.
It will be dismissed if you do not file your lawsuit by the designated date.
Unfortunately, you cannot seek monetary compensation from those who caused your injuries in court.
Final Thoughts
Big corporations and insurance companies can make it difficult for injured accident victims to obtain compensation.
Sometimes, insurance companies use deceit to avoid paying injured victims their rightful compensation.
An excellent legal team on your side with experience in the insurance industry and engineering will be able to handle even the most complex offshore accident cases.
Thus, make sure to get an excellent offshore accident lawyer on your side who will work tirelessly to bring you the compensation you deserve.
They can provide you and your case customization required and the effort you deserve.
A good lawyer will also bring to the table in-depth legal knowledge and experience to each case.
So work with a reputable law firm specializing in offshore accident injury. They will work hard to ensure you receive the financial compensation you need to treat your injuries, pay your bills, and support your family.
If you are searching for an Offshore Accident Injury Lawyer in Houston, TX, look for law firms specializing in offshore accident injury. With a bit of help from technology, you can find many companies and profiles when you search online.
Filter your choices by scheduling a free initial case evaluation with them so you can discuss the details of your case with us and learn how we can help you maximize your compensation.
