Were you injured in a maritime accident in Houston, TX? Federal maritime laws may offer protection, including the opportunity to recover compensation to make your road to recovery easier. At Simon & O’Rourke Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers, our Houston maritime accident lawyers have the knowledge and experience needed to help you win your case and maximize your recovery.
For more than a decade, maritime workers in Houston have trusted us to help them navigate complex legal claims after on-the-job accidents. As top-rated Texas trial lawyers with 43+ years of combined experience, we’ve helped clients win tens of millions of dollars in financial awards.
Make the most of your maritime injury claim by trusting our top-rated law firm to fight for you. Contact our law office today at 281-667-4081 to schedule a free consultation.
How Simon & O’Rourke Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers Helps Injured Maritime Workers in Houston, TX
Maritime trades carry risks. In fact, workers in the maritime industry are about five times more likely to get hurt on the job than other American workers. Whether you work on an oil rig, a navigable vessel, or on a dock, it’s important to exercise your right to seek monetary benefits if you get hurt.
That’s where Simon & O’Rourke Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers can help. Our Houston personal injury attorneys have extensive experience handling complex maritime injury disputes. Our in-depth knowledge of federal maritime law and proven litigation strategies help us win monetary awards that change the lives of the people we represent.
When you turn to us for assistance with your maritime injury claim in Houston, we will:
- Carefully investigate your maritime accident to understand the underlying cause and identify your legal options for recovering compensation
- Gather evidence to support your legal claim for damages
- Enlist the help of experts in the maritime industry, medicine, forensics, rehabilitation, and other areas of specialty
- Prepare and file your legal claim with the insurance company and/or local Harris County court clerk
- Compel the insurance company (or another defendant) to make you a reasonable settlement offer or take their chances going up against our award-winning litigators in court
Don’t stress out about how to get compensation – or from whom – after a maritime accident off the coast of Houston. Focus on getting better and trust our personal injury law firm to handle the rest. We’ll represent you on a contingency fee basis, so you’ll pay nothing until we recover compensation on your behalf.
Get started with a free consultation. Call our Houston, Texas law office for help today.
Types of Maritime Accident Cases We Handle
Houston is the nation’s leader in maritime operations. The Port of Houston has more than 200 public and private facilities, contributing to the jobs of more than 1.54 million Texans and 3.37 million Americans.
Unfortunately, not everyone who contributes to Houston’s maritime operations goes home unscathed at the end of the workday. Maritime accidents happen almost every day — workers who get hurt turn to Simon & O’Rourke Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers for help.
Our maritime injury attorneys in Houston represent clients in cases involving:
- Oil rig accidents
- Cargo ship accidents
- Container ship accidents
- Barge accidents
- Shipyard accidents
- Commercial fishing accidents
- Crude oil tanker accidents
- Shrimp boat accidents
- Tugboat accidents
- Cruise ship accidents
- Fatal maritime accidents
When you’ve been hurt in a maritime accident in or near Houston, we’ll be there to fight for you, too. Call our Houston law office today to discuss your maritime injury case with our team. There’s no charge for your initial case evaluation.
Which Maritime Laws Might Help Me Get Compensation After an Offshore Accident?
Given the risks associated with maritime trades, workers benefit from protections under both state and federal law in Texas. The laws that apply to your case depend on your job and the circumstances of your accident.
The Jones Act
The Merchant Marine Act of 1920, more commonly known as the Jones Act, allows certain maritime workers, known as seamen, to recover monetary benefits when they’re injured on the job.
You’ll qualify as a seaman under the Jones Act if you:
- Work in support of a vessel in navigation AND
- Spend at least 30 percent of your time on board the vessel
A vessel in navigation is a vessel that is afloat and capable of moving across navigable waters like the Gulf of Mexico, Pacific Ocean, or Atlantic Ocean.
As a seaman, you’ll qualify for maintenance and cure benefits if you are injured during the course of your employment. Maintenance compensates for your day-to-day expenses while you recover (e.g., housing costs, utilities), and cure covers the costs of your medical care until you can get back to work.
The Jones Act also provides a remedy if you’re injured due to an unseaworthy vessel or your employer’s negligence. In these situations, you can file a civil personal injury lawsuit in court to demand compensatory damages for your medical bills, lost wages, disability, and suffering.
Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA)
If the Jones Act does not cover you, you may qualify for benefits under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA). The LHWCA provides limited compensation to dock workers, shipbuilders, longshoremen, engineers, and other maritime workers to help them navigate the stresses of getting hurt on the job.
Benefits can include:
- Temporary lost wages
- Disability
- Rehabilitation
- Medical expenses
- Travel expenses
If a maritime accident in Houston is fatal, surviving family members may have the right to recover death benefits under the LHWCA, too.
Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act
The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act was traditionally limited to workers who operated within three miles of the coast of the United States. As a result, oil rig workers and other laborers who spent time working far off the coast of Texas would not qualify for benefits when they got hurt on the job. The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act changed that, extending LHWCA benefits to workers who get hurt more than three miles from the coast.
Texas Tort Law
As a worker in the state of Texas, you’re also protected by state law. If you get hurt in a maritime accident in Houston because someone was negligent or reckless, you may have the right to file a civil personal injury lawsuit to hold them accountable for your injuries, costs, and suffering.
Can I Get Compensation if I’m Partly to Blame For a Maritime Accident in Texas?
It depends. Contributory negligence will affect some, but not all, maritime injury claims.
The Jones Act utilizes a system of pure comparative negligence. Damages awarded in a civil Jones Act claim will be reduced proportionately to fault.
Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act benefits are not affected by shared fault. You can recover full benefits even if you contributed to your maritime accident.
Texas applies a modified comparative negligence statute to civil personal injury and wrongful death cases. You can recover compensation as long as your shared fault is not greater than 50 percent. In these situations, damages are reduced proportionately to fault. Once liability is greater than half, you lose the ability to demand compensation from a liable third party.
Don’t let claims of contributory negligence limit your financial recovery. Trust Simon & O’Rourke Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers to defend you against these tactics, which, left unchallenged, could prevent you from getting the compensation you deserve. We’ll work hard to discredit these allegations and help you maximize your recovery.
What’s the Filing Deadline For Maritime Claims in Houston, Texas?
Different maritime injury claims are subject to different statutes of limitations.
- You have three years from the date of a maritime accident to file a claim under the Jones Act
- Claims for LHWCA benefits must be filed within one year of the date an injury is sustained
- Civil damages can be sought under Texas state law within two years of the date of a maritime accident
You cannot miss the filing deadline. Once it passes, you will lose the ability to seek monetary benefits and/or damages under state or federal law.
Schedule a Free Consultation With an Experienced Houston Maritime Accident Lawyer
Maritime accidents can cause devastating physical injuries, including spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, amputations, severe burns, and other life-changing trauma. You deserve to be compensated for the costs of your medical care, lost wages, and suffering. Simon & O’Rourke Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers can help you fight for the financial justice you deserve.
Our Houston maritime accident lawyers are the fierce advocates you’ll want in your corner. As award-winning Texas trial attorneys, we’ve forced insurance companies and government agencies to pay our clients tens of millions in monetary awards.
We’re ready to fight to get you top results after a maritime accident, too. Call our Houston law office to learn more. Your first consultation is free.
