The Jones Act was put in place to protect seamen injured on the job. This law allows injured seamen to file a lawsuit against their employers to recover compensation. As you can imagine, maritime employers often fight back against Jones Act lawsuits to avoid compensating…
The Port of Houston is the largest Gulf Coast container port is the sixth-largest in the United States, according to the Port of Houston Authority. In 2019, the port handled 69% of all Gulf Coast container traffic. That’s a lot of ships and a lot…
On the job, accidents happen; even in relatively safe industries, countless workers are injured every year. In Texas and every other U.S. state, Workers’ Compensation insurance covers medical bills and lost injured workers’ wages. That applies to workers in nearly every industry, with one notable…
The Merchant Marine Act of 1920, also known as the Jones Act, states that if you are a seaman who has been injured on the job, you are entitled to the following benefits: Maintenance – Day-to-day living expenses Cure – Medical treatment expenses To receive…
Working offshore is profoundly different than jobs on solid ground. You may be on a stable platform or a vessel, surrounded by water, and often open to the elements. The risks associated with offshore jobs are virtually endless, particularly within Houston’s oil and gas industry….
Port Houston is one of the most active job sites in the United States with slightly more than 67,000 employees working with cargo and on vessels, according to the Port of Houston Authority. The 25-mile-long complex is home to nearly 200 private and public industrial…
If you work in the maritime industry, getting hurt on the job is a major disruption. You may need to be off while you recuperate and that can result in financial hardship. Fortunately, there are laws that provide maintenance and cure benefits for qualifying injured…
Crystalline silica exposure is a serious safety issue in the U.S. maritime industry. Anyone who works in a shipyard may have been exposed as a result of abrasive blasting, which is a common surface preparation technique in shipbuilding and repair. Even if you aren’t personally…
In most cases, the owner of the vessel you work on is also your employer. But sometimes, the vessel you are assigned to may be owned by a different company than the one that pays your salary. Depending on the circumstances of your case, you…
Aviation injuries at sea are a tragically common occurrence. Although airliner crashes at sea have become relatively rare, the rise of offshore resource extraction has caused an uptick in maritime aviation crashes involving small craft. Most offshore rigs are serviced by helicopter flights that operate…
The Jones Act establishes a sailor’s right to sue their employer for negligence or unseaworthiness in the wake of an injury at sea. Unfortunately, some injured maritime professionals sign away their right to a jury trial, and agree to arbitration instead. This puts the injured…
U.S. Coast Guard crews are stationed around the country to ensure that as soon as they receive a call, they can move out. The Coast Guard responds to all types of accidents and injuries that occur at sea. They search for and recover people from…
On June 24, the United States Supreme Court ruled that injured sailors can no longer recover punitive damages in maritime injury cases. This means that if you sue your employer because you were injured as a result of their failure to maintain the ship in…
When a major oil tanker accident happens, we usually see it on the news. It’s become a familiar sight: oils slicks spreading across the water, and groups of volunteers in protective suits diligently cleaning beaches. What doesn’t make the news are the common oil tanker…
Solid bulk cargo is any loose, unpackaged, and solid material that is uniform in composition and loaded directly into the cargo space of a ship. Coal, lumber, and grain are commonly carried forms of bulk cargo which each present their own risks for the ship,…