Individuals who are employed on offshore oil or gas rigs or floating platforms have perhaps the riskiest occupation of any American. They work at great heights and with heavy machinery. They face violent storms and high seas on the open waters of such places as the Gulf of Mexico. And they usually are subject to grave if not ill-fated dangers because of lapsed safety standards permitted by a neglectful employer.

Take the case of 10 offshore employees who needed to get off a liftboat, likewise known as a jack-up rig, in the early part of September when Tropical Storm Nate was nearing. These offshore workers were missing for 3 days, and in the end 4 of the workers died. This took place after they left their sinking liftboat and got on a little life raft in Mexico’s Bay of Campeche.

The storm’s approach was known, and reasonably adequate protections from their employers should have ascertained the safety of the workers. Nonetheless, the workers weren’t evacuated from the liftboat immediately, and even a “standby” vessel nearby wasn’t able to get to them. Hence 10 men didn’t have any food or water and just a little life boat — so small that a few men at a time had to hang off to the sides of the raft in the water and hold on.

Ships and aircraft went searching for three days before the Mexican naval forces located the raft. One man had lost his grip and perished, even though later his body was found. Two of the workers on the raft were deceased. A fourth offshore worker died after he was brought to a hospital onshore in Mexico.

All of this shouldn’t have taken place, which is the reason why lawsuits have been filed against the proprietor of the standby ship, Mermaid Marine Australia Ltd.; the operator and owner of the liftboat, Trinity Liftboat Services of New Iberia, Louisiana; and the company for which the injured men were carrying out seismic studies, Geokinetics, Inc. of Houston, Texas.

The rational law to apply when going after such lawsuits is a unique statute possessing a nondescript name: the Jones Act, so named after the legislative person who penned it in 1920. The act protects the rights of navy men, nautical workers, seafarers and now offshore drill rig employees when an employer’s neglect causes a workplace injury or death. Victims or their loved ones could claim financial recovery for their medical expenses, funeral expenses, lost present and future salaries and suffering and pain.

Energy goliaths and their numerous associates have an obligation to protect their workers from the sort of lot that befell the ten offshore employees in the Bay of Campeche. If they decide to not honor that obligation, they may be subject to valid claims under the Jones Act.

Resource

If you or a loved one was hurt in a maritime or offshore work accident, you may be wondering, “Where can I find a Jones Act lawyer?” One certain place is the experienced offshore accident lawyer known as Jim S. Adler & Associates. Visit its website Texas-JonesActLawyer.com or phone 1-800-566-3434 to discover more information about your prospects for a winning Jones Act lawsuit.

Share and Enjoy