Houston Offshore & Longshore Injuries Attorney

While offshore oil and gas worker accidents on fixed platforms are often not covered under the Jones Act, many offshore injuries and accidental deaths in the oil patch are eligible for compensation under the Jones Act and general maritime law. Contact an experienced offshore oil worker injury attorney at Richard J. Plezia & Associates to find out about your rights if you've been hurt on or near a Texas offshore drilling rig, or while traveling to or from an offshore platform.

The Jones Act and general maritime law can cover your claim and significantly increase your recovery under many circumstances, such as the following:

• Injuries or fatalities suffered in transit to or from the platform, whether the transporting craft is a ship, boat, crane, or helicopter (including personnel basket or "widowmaker" injuries or deaths).

• Injuries or fatalities suffered on a drilling vessel, floating platform, or barge.

• Accidents suffered on or near a fixed oil or gas platform, if the victim spends 30 percent or more of his time on a vessel.

Even if the facts involved in your claim indicate limited no-fault recovery under Texas worker's compensation law, you still might have a substantial Jones Act or maritime or admiralty law claim against a negligent third party whose conduct or failure to act played a direct role in the accident.

Our Gulf Coast maritime legal experience and familiarity with offshore oil worker accident litigation give us the ability to investigate and present your claim in ways that would likely never occur to the conventional personal injury or worker's comp attorney.

Longshore Accidents

If you're a longshoreman or dock worker who has been injured or disabled in a Texas waterfront accident, call or e-mail the Houston longshoreman injury lawyers at If you're a longshoreman or dock worker who has been injured or disabled in a Texas waterfront accident, call or e-mail the longshoreman injury lawyers at Richard J. Plezia & Associates

The federal Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act (LHWCA) allows harbor workers (including stevedores, crane operators, longshore checkers, terminal workers, shipbuilders, marine construction workers, vessel repair workers, and others employed in shipyard or waterfront occupations) to recover the costs of medical care and two-thirds of their average weekly wages during periods of disability due to injury on the job. The LHWCA also applies to certain gas or oil rig employees working from fixed offshore platforms.

While these benefits are payable without regard to an employer's fault, in most cases they will be considerably less than the damages recovered in a negligence action. The LHWCA prohibits the injured dock worker from suing his or her employer, but allows the injured employee to sue a third party - such as a shipowner, or equipment manufacturer - for damages under the general maritime law, or state-law negligence proceedings.

The experienced maritime longshore personal injury attorneys of Richard J. Plezia & Associates can help you determine whether you have the right to sue a negligent third party for substantial damages. We can also advise you whether a maritime lawsuit represents a more complete recovery for you than a negligence claim under state law.

You don't necessarily have to be right next to the water to recover negligence damages under maritime law. If you're a forklift driver injured a quarter mile inland while stacking cargo pallets, and the accident was caused by poorly balanced loads due to unsafe handling or repacking at sea, you might have a claim for negligence against the owner of the vessel.

CALL NOW FOR A FREE CONSULTATION!

We offer free personal injury consultations. We charge you nothing unless your case is won so feel free to call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and let us know how we can help you. You can call us at : 713-800-1151 or fill out a contact form here on our website.