Marshall Offshore Accident Attorneys

Award-Winning Trial Lawyers On Your Side

Offshore and maritime work is inherently dangerous. Thousands of offshore work accidents – like those that occur on offshore oil rigs and platforms – injure workers each year. Many of those accidents should be entirely preventable if safety is kept as the priority. It is important for every injured worker to get a chance to receive the compensation and benefits that they need to recover.

At Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers, our Marshall offshore accident lawyers are proud to offer our legal services to injured offshore workers. With more than 20 years of experience with complicated injury cases, you can trust our team to effectively handle your claim. No matter the strength of the opposition, like a major insurance company, we can fight for you in and out of court.

Email us now to get a free initial consultation about your offshore accident.

Different Offshore Accidents & Injuries

Our law firm can work on a large variety of different cases involving offshore accidents and the injuries that they cause. Please do not worry yourself over the details of your case when you should be resting. Call (888) 492-5532, tell us what happened, and we can tell you how we can help.

We can handle cases that involve:

• Offshore fires and explosions: Many offshore accident cases involve fires and explosions on oil rigs and gas refineries. Failing to properly maintain the equipment on these sites dramatically increases the risk of a terrible explosion or fire that endangers every worker there.
• Toxic exposure: Industrial work often subjects workers to exposure to toxic substances, including such work on offshore jobsites. Continual exposure or unsafe exposure incidents like a spill can put workers at significant risk of illness and injury.
• Equipment failures: Heavy machinery and equipment are commonplace on offshore jobsites like oil rigs and shipping vessels. A defect with a machine can result in severe injuries, like crush injuries, fall injuries, electrocutions, and so on.
• Vessel collisions: If you were working on an offshore vessel when it was struck by another vessel or otherwise got into an accident, we can help you understand your options to pursue compensation.

What is the Jones Act?

The Jones Act – or the Merchant Marine Act of 1920 – is a federal law that permits maritime workers to seek an injury claim against employers whose negligence causes them to suffer an on-the-job injury. It also covers injury claims involving “unseaworthy” vessels. At the center of many offshore accident claims are the provisions of the Jones Act.

Our attorneys know how to work with the nuances of the Jones Act and how they will impact your claim. We are also highly familiar with the legalities of the Longshore & Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) and the Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA). With so much resting on the outcome of your offshore accident claim, it is important to work with a law firm that understands these niche acts and how they influence a claim.

Injury Claims & Workers’ Compensation Claims

Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers is a law firm that can handle both personal injury and workers’ compensation claims. Our background and experience come in handy when working on offshore accident claims because such claims often involve both. You might be able to file a personal injury claim while also getting workers’ compensation benefits, depending on the details of your employment and accident.

When does it make sense to file one type of claim over the other?

• Personal injury: Injured offshore workers can use the Jones Act to file a civil injury claim against their employer if the employer’s negligence caused their injury. An injury claim can also be used if a third party caused the accident. For example, if a contracted worker accidentally injured a worker who is contracted by another company, then an injury claim might be pursuable.
• Workers’ compensation: If you are covered by workers’ compensation insurance, then you might be able to file a workers’ comp claim after an offshore work accident, regardless of who caused it. Texas does not require employers to purchase workers’ compensation insurance, though, so this situation can be rare.

Filing a workers’ compensation claim against your employer usually prevents you from also filing against them and their insurance policy in a civil injury claim. However, you can get workers’ comp benefits while filing a claim against a defendant that is not your employer. Ask us if this will be possible for your offshore injury case.

Great Legal Counsel at Your Service

Our Marshall offshore accident attorneys are standing by to help locals who were hurt while working on an offshore jobsite, rig, or vessel. Even if you work only a few months out of the year offshore and then work in Marshall the rest of the year, we can help you with an offshore injury claim. There are no cases that are too big or complex for our highly experienced team.

Call us at (888) 492-5532 for more information about offshore accident claims and lawsuits.