Friday, July 3, 2015

If you’re a roughneck that has spent any amount of time working either on a ship or an offshore oil platform, you clearly know how dangerous the work can be, and how often accidents can happen.  With the natural frequency of these accidents, chances are you have already needed or will need in the future the services of an offshore injury lawyer.  An offshore injury lawyer is simply a personal injury lawyer who specializes in accidents in the offshore drilling industry.  It is simply more money in profits for the shipowner, at the risk of the health and well-being of the employee.  This is a risk that the ship owner will gladly take if he knows he can pressure you and take advantage of you should something go wrong.  If this is an illegal risk that the shipowner is willing to take, than it is their responsibility to compensate when someone gets hurt or worse.  Do not let them take advantage of you.  If you’re in California, a personal injury lawyer Los Angeles won’t be enough, you’ll need someone with a more focused specialization.  An offshore injury lawyer will be well-versed in the Jones Act, the Longshore & Harbor Worker’s Compensation Act, Death on the High Seas Act, and General Maritime Law.



Too often shipowners or the corporations that own them are worried more about profits and the bottom line and see roughnecks as necessary liabilities in getting a job done rather than people with families that are willing to risk their lives.  You need a legal advocate who understands this and are willing to defend and fight for you and your family.  The type of accidents that can occur while at sea or on a ship span virtually the entire range of possible accidents.  Both rigs and ships carry huge pieces of equipment that are not securely fastened or can easily become loosened; deckhands can easily slip and fall when the deck is wet, the potential for explosions is always present due to highly flammable liquids and fumes, and there is always the risk of being tossed overboard due to rough weather.  When any of these things happen, shipowners are responsible for paying the medical bills and expenses for employees that have been injured while on the job.  Rather than trying to help their employees and their families in this time of need, all too often a shipowner’s response is to protect themselves and their profits, to protect themselves from possible legal recourse by bringing in their own legal team and investigators.  One would think this is a good thing in terms of ascertaining the truth and deciding what the rig worker would be entitled to, but this team is nothing more than hired guns who are there to save the shipowner money by pinning the blame on you.  They will exert as much pressure, regardless of whether it is legal or ethical, in order to dodge the responsibility of paying what they are required by law to pay.  It is the shipowner’s responsibility to make the ship as safe as possible, at all times, but too many times this is neglected or blatantly ignored in order to save on operating costs.

Offshore Injury Lawyer
Personal Injury Lawyer Los Angeles