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Louisiana Offshore Injury Lawyer

Getting injured offshore can sometimes result in a one way ticket home—without the benefits you’re entitled to.

As an offshore worker, you are entitled to full compensation for your workplace injuries under U.S. maritime law, and a maritime lawyer with experience in offshore injuries can help you make sure you get what you deserve.

At the Maritime Injury Law Firm in New Orleans Louisiana, we understand the pressures that you face after an offshore work injury. We’ve got 20 years of experience under our belt getting justice for our clients injured offshore throughout southern Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, and we’re here to help you get the same.

George represented me when I got injured working on a tow boat. The company was playing pretty rough with me, but George was able to get them to provide my medical care and got me a large settlement. If you work on boats, like I do, I recommend George Vourvoulias if you are looking for a lawyer who knows maritime law.
~ Curtis Watson, Lead Deckhand
George represented me when I got injured working on a tow boat. The company was playing pretty rough with me, but George was able to get them to provide my medical care and got me a large settlement. If you work on boats, like I do, I recommend George Vourvoulias if you are looking for a lawyer who knows maritime law.
~ Curtis Watson, Lead Deckhand

Offshore workers in Louisiana are protected under the law

Many workers injured offshore don’t know that they fall under a special classification under the law — one that has more protections than any other worker in the U.S. Seamen, or workers who spend a significant amount of time working as a crewmember or captain on a ship or boat in navigation, are considered wards of the courts. Their rights are to be jealously protected, just like the court protects the rights of children and widows.

In fact, any injury an offshore worker suffers in service of the ship does not qualify for workers’ compensation -- but that’s a good thing.

That’s because the protections afforded to you under maritime law are even better than workers’ compensation.

Seamen, or workers who spend a significant amount of time working as a crewmember or a captain on a ship or boat in navigation, are protected under a federal law called The Jones Act.

 

The Jones Act protects the rights of crewmen injured or taken ill in the course of their employment by requiring employers to provide safe working conditions and allowing offshore workers to sue their employer or the boat owner for damages when those conditions are not met.

What types of injuries and illnesses are protected?

There are many different types of workplace injuries that can entitle offshore workers in Louisiana to compensation, including:
  • Slip and falls
  • Falling overboard
  • Repetitive use injuries
  • Falling or shifting cargo
  • Poorly secured equipment
  • Chemical burns
  • Head injuries
  • Explosions
  • Slip and falls
  • Falling overboard
  • Repetitive use injuries
  • Falling or shifting cargo
  • Poorly secured equipment
  • Chemical burns
  • Head injuries
  • Explosions
These liabilities can also apply to illnesses when caused, contributed to, or aggravated by negligence or unseaworthiness, or that manifest themselves while the crewmember was in the service of the ship.

These illnesses could include:

  • Heart disease
  • Hearing loss
  • Food or water poisoning
  • Arthritis
  • Tuberculosis
  • Pneumonia
  • Lead poisoning
  • Dermatitis
  • Asbestosis
  • Heart disease
  • Hearing loss
  • Food or water poisoning
  • Arthritis
  • Tuberculosis
  • Pneumonia
  • Lead poisoning
  • Dermatitis
  • Asbestosis

What to do if you are injured while working offshore in the Gulf Coast

If you are injured, fill out an injury report and make sure it describes any and all factors creating an unsafe workplace (examples: darkness, slipperiness, negligence of a co-worker, insufficient or defective equipment, insufficient manpower, unsafe procedures, or anything else).

Do what you can to document what happened as close to the time the accident happened as possible honestly and completely.

Often, soon after an injury, the employer’s insurance representative or claims agent will try to get a signed or recorded telephone statement from you. Since they represent your employer, that is where their allegiance usually lies. It’s the old “is the glass half empty or half full?” adage.

Talking to an insurance representative, adjuster or claims agent without first getting legal advice from an experienced maritime lawyer can result in your glass being half or completely empty.

Louisiana Offshore Injury Lawyer - maritime injury law firm - George Vourvoulias

Areas Served

Areas Served

How The Maritime Injury Law Firm can help

How The Maritime Injury Law Firm can help

Maritime law is a distinct area of the law, and not all lawyers have experience in the field.

George Vourvoulias does.

With 20 years of experience with maritime injury cases throughout Louisiana, George knows the pressures placed upon crewmembers to work through injuries and illnesses — and how companies try to downplay those injuries and illnesses to trick workers into taking lowball settlements.

At The Maritime Injury Law Firm, we don’t just look at your current losses. We assess the future losses that you could sustain due to the long term effects of what you’re going through and help to make sure you still get the money you would have earned had you not been injured on the job.

With every case we take on, our job is to turn the system around and make it work in favor of the seaman, and to provide justice for hardworking people in need.

Click or call to schedule a free and confidential consultation

CASE STUDY:

An injury on the Gulf Coast

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Attorney George Vourvoulias - offshore injury lawyer Louisiana

“I was working on the Mississippi River as a deckhand when we were collided with by an upbound vessel pushing 40 barges. I was in the galley at the time of the collision. Our boat sank in seconds, but I was lucky enough to escape before it went down.

I was the only survivor.
My three crewmates died.
I was in shock, hurt, scared and didn’t know what the future was for me and my family.
I hired George Vourvoulias and he went to work right away. He listened to my story and he came up with a plan on how to deal with the insurance companies and the big boat owners. It was complicated because there were lots of different companies blaming each other and blaming my crew for the collision. The boat owners were trying to get out of having to pay.
George’s plan worked and he was able to get a settlement that covered me for the rest of my life since I cannot work on boats anymore.
If you need a maritime injury lawyer who knows his stuff, call George Vourvoulias. He’ll protect you and your family and make sure you’re taken care of when things go wrong.”
~ Nate Dugan, Deckhand
Attorney George Vourvoulias - offshore injury lawyer Louisiana

Schedule a free and confidential consultation with The Maritime Injury Law Firm today

As an offshore accidents attorney with 20 years in maritime law, George Vourvoulias has the experience and knowledge to make sure you don’t have to recover from your workplace injury alone. When you hire The Maritime Injury Law Firm, you can rest assured that our legal team will work tirelessly to make sure that you are receiving the full compensation you deserve. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.

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