Texas Maritime Lawyers

Texas maritime lawyers are the legal professionals who help injured Texas maritime workers and their families get their lives back on track after a serious injury or death occurs.

Texas’ Maritime Industry

Sitting on the Gulf Coast of the U.S., Texas has thriving maritime and oil industries that boost the state's economy by supplying residents with jobs and generating millions of dollars of revenue each year. However, despite their financial benefits, the oil and maritime industries also have their disadvantages, particularly in the fact that they increase the risk that employees in these fields will sustain a severe injury or death while working.

Risks for Texas Maritime Workers

Exposure to toxins, regular contact with heavy machinery and unpredictable weather are just some of the factors that make maritime occupations more dangerous than jobs in numerous other fields.

Given such inherent risks, lawmakers have passed a distinct body of law – known as the Jones Act– that specifically protects the maritime employees, should they be injured on the job. Like workers' compensation laws, the Jones Act is complex and frequently changing, as new amendments to this piece of legislation are made regularly.

As a result, it's essential that, following an injury, maritime employees meet with an experienced Jones Act lawyer to learn more about their legal rights and find out if they are entitled to seek compensation, via the Jones Act, for their injuries and losses.

What is the Jones Act?

Also known as the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, the Jones Act:

entitles maritime workers to compensation if a ship owner's, captain's or crew member's negligence or recklessness caused or intensified the injuries sustained
allows maritime employees to collect settlements if they are made to sail on an “unseaworthy” vessel
allows families of deceased maritime employees to collect death benefits, if their loved one dies while working in the maritime industry

Maritime employees include a broad range of workers, including (but not limited to):

cruise ship employees
dock workers
ferry workers
fishermen and crabbers
longshoremen
oil workers and pipe layers
seamen and officers
technicians, electricians and engineers who work aboard sea vessels
tug and barge hands

Maritime Accidents and Injuries Covered by the Jones Act

Texas maritime employees can obtain settlements via the Jones Act after any of the following types of offshore accidents occur:

capsizing
collisions
crushing incidents
diver or skier mishaps
explosions
heavy lifting accidents
overboard falls
slip and falls

Injuries commonly sustained following such offshore accidents include (but aren't limited to):

back and neck injuries
burns
crushing injuries
disfigurement
electrocutions
falls (including those resulting from slippery surfaces, collapse of structures, faulty equipment, etc.)
fractures
loss of limbs
permanent disabilities
traumatic brain injury

When to Meet with a Texas Maritime Lawyer

Individuals who suffer a work-related injury/illness should contact a Texas maritime attorney as soon as possible to ensure the best outcome for their case.

Surviving family members of maritime workers who died on the job or from an illness acquired while working out at sea (such as mesothelioma from asbestos exposure) will likely be eligible to recover compensation for unpaid medical bills, funeral and burial costs and emotional pain and suffering.

If you or a loved one has suffered a maritime-related injury, don’t waste anymore time. Contact us today for a free evaluation of your case.

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