In order to recover against your employer for the injuries and other damages you have incurred following a serious maritime accident, you must prove that your offshore employer’s negligence actually contributed to causing the accident. Fortunately, the Courts have consistently held maritime employers to a strict standard demanding that they exercise a high degree of care in avoiding the infliction of injury upon employees.

While you still bear the burden of proof, an injured Jones Act seaman need only prove that his employer’s negligence had the slightest role in causing the accident to occur. This is known as the featherweight burden of proof.

If you or someone you know has been hurt offshore on a boat, ship, rig or other vessel, do not hesitate to contact an experienced maritime injury accident lawyer to discuss your options.

Offshore injuries are an ever-present threat for all maritime workers. To make things more complicated, the location of an accident can often determine one’s rights and available remedies under law. Offshore oil rigs are usually movable. As such, a maritime worker injured on a movable offshore oil rig may be entitled to recover as a seaman under the Jones Act. On the other hand, a maritime worker injured on a fixed offshore oil platform may be entitled to benefits under state workers’ compensation laws or the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) due to the fact that platforms are generally affixed to the bottom of the sea floor in a permanent fashion. There could even be a claim against a third party under General Maritime Law if that party contributed to the injury.

Offshore injury cases can pose a myriad of problems to those unaccustomed to dealing with them. It is absolutely essential that you hire the best to handle your maritime case. Contact the experienced Texas maritime injury lawyers today to discuss your options.

In the wake of the discovery of a major gas leak late Sunday night involving the Elgin PUQ platform and a Rowan Viking drilling rig located approximately 150 miles off of the coast of Aberdeen, Scotland, 85 additional maritime workers have been pulled off of an adjacent installation in what Shell calls a ‘purely precautionary’ move. These most recent evacuations, which bring the total to approximately 300 since discovery of the leak, were from Shell’s Shearwater platform and the Noble Hans Deul rig, both of which are currently located roughly 4 nautical miles from the leaking Elgin platform. No deaths or injuries have been reported following the discovery of the leak but officials have confirmed the presence of both a gas cloud and an oily sheen in the vicinity of the damaged platform. Total UK, the owner of the leaking Elgin, has proposed drilling a relief well in an effort to halt the flow of gas into the North Sea. The company has, so far, called in over a number of specialist engineers as well as Wild Well Control, a company that worked with BP on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico nearly two years ago.

If you or someone you love has been hurt offshore on a drillship, semisubmersible, jack-up rig or platform, contact an experienced maritime injury lawyer today to discuss your options.

Sources: local.stv.tv, Telegraph

Tow boats and barges are again traveling northward as the Mississippi River officially opened for business today. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the first vessel through was the MV Deana Ann towing seven barges through the lock and dams in Red Wing and Hastings on its way to St. Paul, Minnesota. The average annual opening date for the river is March 20 although last year the Mississippi did not see traffic until March 31.

If you or a loved one has been hurt onboard a barge, tow boat, commercial fishing boat, shrimp boat or other vessel, contact an experienced maritime injury accident lawyer today to discuss your legal rights.

Source: Marshall Independent/AP

According to Coast Guard reports, a commercial fishing boat got into trouble late Saturday night off the coast of Washington state and four of its crewmembers are unaccounted for. The 62-foot wooden vessel, known as the Lady Cecelia, was approximately 17 miles west of Leadbetter Point near Willapa Bay when it disintegrated for reasons unknown. According to weather reports, conditions in the area were not considered dangerous at the time the boat’s distress signal went out leaving the Coast Guard to speculate on exactly what caused the tragedy to occur.

If you’ve lost a loved one to an offshore accident, contact an experienced maritime injury accident lawyer today to discuss your options.

Source: Reuters

BP, Plc is rumored to have reached a $7.8 billion settlement with the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (PSC), a group that represents collectively more than 100,000 individuals who suffered damages due to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and subsequent oil spill. This settlement postpones the trial that was set to begin in New Orleans on Monday. Despite this major move, BP continues to face active claims from a number of federal, state and local governments and agencies that were also adversely affected by the spill.

If you or a loved one has been hurt offshore on a ship, rig, tanker or other type of vessel, contact an experienced maritime injury accident lawyer today to discuss your rights.

Source: MSNBC

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier postponed the start of trial just 24 hours before it was set to get underway to allow BP an opportunity to discuss settlement with the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (PSC). The PSC represents thousands of businesses and individuals who suffered damages as a result of the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and subsequent oil spill.

Trial is set to begin on March 5 in a federal courtroom in New Orleans. While not guaranteed, rumors persist that the two sides are getting close to settlement.

Hurt offshore? Whether you work on a fishing boat, drillship, jack-up rig or other vessel, if you’ve been injured due to someone else’s carelessness, contact an experienced offshore injury accident lawyer today to discuss your options.

Source: Reuters

The maritime injury accident lawyers at Fitts Zehl, LLP take pride in representing offshore employees who have been seriously injured due to the negligence of others. Whether it’s a careless fellow crew member, a broken piece of safety equipment onboard the vessel or a captain who insists on cutting corners to save time and money; if you are hurt as a result, you have the right to hold the responsible party accountable for his or her actions.

Remember, very few lawyers understand how to successfully handle a maritime or Jones Act claim. One wrong move can seriously harm your chance to recover the money you will need to cover your damages. Don’t let your employer off the hook. Contact an experienced maritime injury accident lawyer today to speak with an attorney who understands how to get you the money you deserve. That way, you can focus on your future, rather than having to worry about how you are going to pay for it.

Rescuers temporarily halted their search for survivors of the MV Rabaul Queen on Monday due to strong winds. According to Papua New Guinea’s National Maritime Safety Authority (NMSA), the ferry abruptly sank on February 2^nd while traveling on the open ocean from Kimbe in the province of West New Britain to Lae after encountering several large waves. Of the 372 people who were reportedly onboard when the ship capsized, 246 were rescued and 5 bodies were recovered. The remaining 121 have yet to be found.

If you or a loved one have been hurt or killed in an offshore accident, contact a knowledgeable offshore injury lawyer today.

Source: The Daily Telegraph

Judge Carl Barbier ruled on Tuesday that BP must cover some of Halliburton’s costs stemming from the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. However, the Court made it clear that if it is proven that Halliburton deliberately concealed any problems associated with its well cementing operation, BP could avoid having to pay. Trial is set to begin on February 27.

If you or someone you love was hurt onboard a boat, ship, rig or other vessel, contact an experienced maritime injury lawyer today to discuss your legal rights.

Source: AFP