Handling Cases Nationwide
Oil rigs located offshore are often an attractive job opportunity for young, single individuals, as the pay can be quite significant. In return for a large paycheck, however, rig workers must contend with long hours in dangerous conditions at all hours of the day and night. Severe weather can make the dangerous working conditions on a rig even more hazardous. A partial listing of the hazards aboard offshore rigs include:
- Fall hazards;
- Slippery walking surfaces / slip and fall hazards;
- Dangerous chemicals;
- Chemical fires or explosions;
- Severe weather injuries.
If you or a loved one has been injured or has drowned while working on an offshore oil rig, it is important to know that you may have legal rights to compensation. Your situation should be evaluated as quickly as possible by an experienced offshore rig drowning attorney who can advise you of your rights and take steps necessary to protect those rights.
What Rights Do I Have After an Offshore Rig Accident?
Even though an offshore rig may be hundreds of miles from the United States, it is not beyond the reach of the law. Workplace injuries that occur on an offshore rig are handled under a body of law known as maritime law. Essentially maritime law covers events that happen a certain number of miles off the coast of the United States or that occur to crewmembers or other personnel aboard U.S. vessels. It is a combination of case law (that is, the law that has evolved because of court decisions) and laws passed by Congress.
One of the more important of these maritime laws is the Jones Act. This requires employers to provide reasonably safe working conditions for crewmen working aboard vessels or oil rigs. An employer who does not do so can be held responsible for the crewman’s injuries and expenses, even if the worker was partly responsible for causing the accident. In other words, so long as the employer is found to be partly responsible for the accident (i.e., by not providing safe working conditions or appropriate training), the Jones Act and similar statutes will allow the worker or his or her family (if the worker is deceased) to recover compensation.
Other maritime laws allow for an injured worker to recover compensation for expenses such as food, mortgage payments or rent, and medical treatment and expenses – sometimes regardless of who was at fault for the accident.
Why Do I Need an Offshore Rig Accident Attorney?
The law is confusing enough as it is. Maritime law is even more so because modern statutes must be analyzed along with traditions and legal principles that can be hundreds of years old. Most individuals, no matter how long they have worked on the seas, are not able to learn these laws and principles immediately after an offshore rig accident.
Why Call Zinda Law Group?
Rather than handling your claim yourself, an offshore rig accident attorney can handle the legal aspects of your claim for recovery and allow you to focus on your health and wellbeing. At Zinda Law Group, our attorneys are familiar with the laws, principles, and statutes that affect working conditions aboard offshore rigs. We will conduct a thorough investigation into your case and determine who was at fault for the accident. We will then pursue your claim under the Jones Act or other maritime laws that may be applicable to your case. Our goal is to obtain for you a compensation award that reimburses you for your losses such as medical expenses, lost wages, and bills that have been unpaid because you have been unable to work. We can also help the families of workers killed on offshore rigs recover benefits the law allows for. Contact our office at (800) 863-5312 to discuss your case today.
