Covington Offshore Accident Lawyer

Trial-Tested Offshore Accident Attorneys Ready to Fight for You & Win

The maritime, oil, and gas industries are uniquely hazardous. Each year, far too many workers in these industries suffer catastrophic injuries and even death. When you or someone you love is hurt in an offshore accident, you may have various options for compensation and justice — and you can get the answers, help, and support you need from a 5-star Covington offshore accident lawyer at Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers.

For more than 20 years, we have been fierce, dedicated advocates for those hurt in offshore accidents. With extensive experience in an array of offshore accident cases, we know how to win full, fair compensation in the most complex situations involving the toughest opponents.

Strategic, tireless, and compassionate, we can help you pursue all available legal remedies while setting your case up for success. Our Covington attorneys are proud to be here for you, and we are always ready to fight to protect your rights to recovery and justice when it matters most.

Call 888-492-5532 or Email Us 27/4 for a Free, Confidential Consultation.

Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers has recovered millions for injured workers and families who have lost loved ones in fatal offshore accidents. We are ready to make your claim and recovery our next victory.

Click on a link below to jump directly to a section and learn more about offshore accident causes, cases, lawyers, and compensation.

• What Are the Leading Causes of Offshore Accidents & Injuries?
• Offshore Accident Statistics
• Who Can I Sue After an Offshore Accident?
• Will I Get Fired or Blacklisted If I Sue an Employer for Offshore Injuries?
• When Do I Need a Covington Offshore Accident Lawyer?
• How Much Are Offshore Accident Settlements & Compensation?

What Are the Leading Causes of Offshore Accidents & Injuries?

There’s no denying the high seas are dangerous places to work. Still, there is no reason offshore workers should anticipate accidents or injuries. Like any other worker, they have a right to safe working conditions. Yet, negligence arises all too often, causing offshore accidents on oil rigs, drilling platforms, barges, and other sea vessels where commercial activities occur.

That negligence can take many forms, depending on how and where the accident occurs. Generally, however, here are some of the most common types of offshore accidents, with a look at some types of negligence that can cause them.

Offshore Explosions & Fires

Drilling, storing, and transporting oil and gas puts some offshore workers around volatile and combustible substances daily. With the proper safety measures and equipment, workers should be able to do their jobs worrying about being hurt in an explosion or fire. That doesn’t always happen, however.

Negligence that can result in horrific offshore fires and explosions can include (and may not be limited to):

• Collisions between vessels, oil rigs, and/or oil drilling platforms
• Failures to properly store oil and gas
• Failures to maintain equipment or pipelines
• Lack of safety training and/or equipment for workers

While offshore explosions and fires can cause severe burn injuries, they can also be deadly when explosions sink vessels or trap workers on oil rigs consumed by flames.

Toxic Exposures

Aside from combustibles, toxic substances are another prevalent hazard in the oil, gas, and maritime industries. Consequently, offshore workers may be routinely exposed to toxins like (but not limited to):

• Asbestos
• Benzene
• Hydrogen sulfide
• Industrial chemicals

These exposures can cause life-threatening injuries when toxic substances leak, detection devices (like air monitors) have not been installed, or other workers have not been properly trained on how to handle releases or first aid response. While this type of negligence may come at the hands of an employer, it may also be from contractors or third-party companies responsible for certain operations on oil rigs, drilling platforms, or any sea vessel.

Equipment Failures

Design defects, manufacturing oversights, and failures to maintain industrial equipment used in offshore operations can cause accidents like (but not limited to):

• Falls
• Equipment collapses
• Crushing accidents
• Drownings
• Loss of limb
• Electrocution

Manufacturers, employers, and/or others can be liable when equipment failures cause offshore accidents and injuries.

Other Offshore Accidents & Injuries

Beyond offshore explosions, fires, toxic exposures, and equipment failures, offshore accidents can also happen on ship decks, tugboats, barges, commercial fishing boats, and various other vessels, causing injuries like (but not limited to):

• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Spinal cord injury (SCI)
• Disfigurement and loss of limb
• Fatal injuries

At Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers, our Covington lawyers are skilled at representing those injured in offshore accidents. No matter where or how your offshore accident occurred, we can explain your rights and options, helping you take the right steps towards obtaining the financial recovery and justice you may deserve.

Offshore Accident Statistics

The latest offshore accident and injury statistics reveal a tragic picture of just how often serious injuries and deadly accidents affect workers on oil rigs, drilling platforms, and other vessels (source: BSEE).

Offshore Accident, Injury & Death Statistics

Recently, an investigation revealed that BSEE is likely underreporting this data on offshore accidents and injuries — and that the U.S. Coast Guard is not consistently tracking or recording offshore worker deaths in state waters. As a result, the numbers above likely only scratch the surface of the true number of offshore accidents that are really hurting and killing workers.

If you or a loved one has been hurt while working on the high seas, just one accident can be life-shattering. When that happens, you can count on a Covington offshore accident lawyer at Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers for experienced advocacy and client-focused counsel in the pursuit of justice.

Who Can I Sue After an Offshore Accident?

The answer to this question depends on what exactly happened. In fact, to get a clear answer here, it’s best to answer these questions while talking to a Covington attorney at Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers for a free, confidential consultation:

• Where and when did the offshore accident happen?
• What happened right before the accident?
• What did you do right afterward?
• Were there any witnesses?
• Has any party admitted fault? Or is fault disputed?
• Have you already accepted a settlement from an employer or their insurance company?

Depending on the answers here, you could have more than one claim. Specifically, some potential options for pursuing financial recovery could include filing a claim under:

• The Jones Act: Also known as The Merchant Marine Act of 1920, the Jones Act is a federal law that gives certain maritime workers the right to sue negligent employers when their negligence results in accidents and injuries. Jones Act claims can also be filed on grounds that “unseaworthy” vessels caused injuries. Not the same as workers’ compensation claims, Jones Act claims can provide additional damages, including (but not limited to) compensation for pain, suffering, and loss of consortium.
• The Longshore & Harbor Workers Compensation Act (LHWCA): LHWCA claims are for those not covered by the Jones Act— like shipbuilders, ship repair workers, harbor workers, pier and dock workers, and longshoremen. Similar to workers’ compensation, LHWCA claims offer compensation for four types of disability, including temporary partial, temporary total, permanent partial, and permanent total.
• The Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA): When deadly offshore accidents happen in international waters, a surviving spouse or dependent may be able to file a DOHSA claim. These claims can be filed after the death of maritime workers and non-workers, like passengers killed in cruise ship accidents caused by unseaworthy vessels or negligence.
• Louisiana tort law: If the negligence involved has come at the hands of a manufacturer or some third party (other than an employer, a vessel operator, or a fellow crewmember), there could be grounds to file claims against these parties as well. This could occur, for example, when defective or faulty equipment plays a role in causing an offshore accident.

A Covington offshore accident attorney at Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers can point out all available legal remedies, helping you pursue the maximum available compensation.

Will I Get Fired or Blacklisted If I Sue an Employer for Offshore Injuries?

It is illegal for an employer to retaliate against you because you have exercised your rights to justice after an offshore accident. In fact, if you are fired for filing an injury or accident case — or if a former employer takes measures to get you “blacklisted” — you could have another legal claim against them, like wrongful termination or retaliation.

While many employers recognize this and will go through the proper legal channels to resolve a case, some won’t. This is another reason it’s crucial to have a Covington offshore accident lawyer in your corner, fighting to show an employer or any opponent that you mean business — and that you are ready to take action if they refuse to play by the rules.

When Do I Need a Covington Offshore Accident Lawyer?

A Covington offshore accident lawyer can determine fault and explain your legal options. Additionally, your attorney can craft you a strong, persuasive case, doing things like:

• Crucially protecting your rights and interests at every stage of your case
• Strategically communicating with insurance companies
• Calculating compensation and negotiating settlement offers
• Representing you in court whenever necessary
• Effectively managing case deadlines, court filings, and other complicated administrative work that’s essential to advancing your case
• Conducting deeper investigations to gather all available evidence to support your claim(s)

At Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers, we can fight for you and give you confidence that your offshore accident claim is on track for success. Find out how in an initial consultation.

How Much Are Offshore Accident Settlements & Compensation?

The injuries, damage, pain, and suffering caused by a specific offshore accident will impact the value of a claim. Of course, what you can prove also matters, particularly when it comes to:

• The nature, types, and severity of your injuries
• The negligence that caused the offshore accident
• The psychological and financial impacts the accident has had on you

Successful offshore accident cases may include damages for losses like (but not limited to):

• Medical bills (past and future)
• Lost wages, benefits, and bonuses (past & future)
• Lost earning capacity
• Property damage
• Pain and suffering
• Funeral expenses (after deadly accidents)
• Loss of consortium