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When you’ve been hurt in an offshore or maritime accident, time is not on your side. More than likely you are putting your energy into getting better and trying to pay your bills. You may not even be sure where to turn or who to trust. That’s where we come in. Our job is to take all that stress, fear, and risk off your shoulders. We take on the company so you can focus on recovering. We have decades of experience winning cases against practically every company in the maritime and offshore industry. We get record-setting verdicts and settlements for our clients, including a $44 million verdict recently. Get the help you need to get better and get your life back.
When you’ve been hurt in an offshore or maritime accident, time is not on your side. More than likely you are putting your energy into getting better and trying to pay your bills. You may not even be sure where to turn or who to trust. That’s where we come in. Our job is to take all that stress, fear, and risk off your shoulders. We take on the company so you can focus on recovering. We have decades of experience winning cases against practically every company in the maritime and offshore industry. We get record-setting verdicts and settlements for our clients, including a $44 million verdict recently. Get the help you need to get better and get your life back.
We treat you like a real person. And we communicate with you like a real person, too.
You have the right to see doctors of your choosing. We help you get the care you need.
We have the track record of success you need to win your case and get your life back.
Filing an injury lawsuit ensures your family, your future, and your world are protected.
After being injured on the job you may think that you are legally entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. However, if your job involves working on a vessel at sea, along the Gulf Coast, in a river system, or on an offshore oil rig, you are not entitled to workers’ compensation. Instead, you are covered by federal admiralty law, also known as “maritime law” or the “Jones Act.” An experienced Jones Act lawyer can help you understand what this means for your case.
Federal maritime law and the Jones Act are extremely complicated. Only a handful of law firms and lawyers across the country are considered experts in this area of the law and have a track record of success when it comes to helping injured mariners get the compensation they deserve for their Jones Act claims. Brian Beckcom, one of VB Attorneys’ founding partners, is widely considered one the nation’s leading Jones Act lawyers for cases involving maritime accidents and injuries.
First of all, you can be absolutely guaranteed that your employer has lawyers and insurance adjusters on its side from day one. Most maritime employers have insurance adjusters prepared to come work for them at a moment’s notice, and they have lawyers in house or law firms that are experienced in defending injury claims ready with a phone call. You may not even realize it, but from the moment you are hurt, you can be absolutely guaranteed that your employer has contacted its insurance adjusters and lawyers.
If you try to go it alone against your employer, its insurance adjusters, and its lawyers, you are going to lose every single time. You must have effective legal counsel on your side.
Second, you cannot hire just any lawyer for these types of cases. Simply put, 99% of lawyers are not qualified to work on cases involving federal maritime law. By hiring a lawyer with no experience in these types of lawsuits, you aren’t helping protect your rights at all, and in fact, you may be damaging your legal rights more than protecting them. We have seen it time and time again. A hard-working employee gets hurt on the job. He or she thinks they are automatically covered under workers’ compensation. They trust their employer to help them, only to find out weeks or months later that their employer had been spending the entire time protecting itself behind your back. Or, even worse, the injured employee hires the wrong lawyer and loses everything.
Most injury lawsuits don’t change the world. This lawsuit effectively ended Somali piracy. Brought by nine of the crew members who were attacked by pirates
At 37 years old, Keidron had spent nine years building a career for himself working offshore. He enjoyed the work and being able to provide for
For many people in the offshore and maritime industry, you get a job on a rig or a vessel because your parents, siblings, relatives, friends,
Who you hire as your lawyer may be the most important decision you make. It can be the difference between a small settlement and a large settlement, between a quick settlement or one that drags on for years and year, between collecting everything to which you are legally entitled or collecting nothing at all.
How much money you’ll get for your injuries depends on how you got hurt, how bad your injuries are, how much work you’ll miss recovering, or if you’ll ever be able to go back to your job on the water.
You may have a case if your company is refusing to pay for your medical care or if they are trying to trick you into signing away your legal rights. The best way to find out if you have a case is to ask us.
If you work on a “vessel in navigation” and your job contributes to the mission of the vessel, you are probably covered by the Jones Act. Other jobs may be covered by the Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act or by general maritime law.
State workers’ compensation laws most likely do not apply if you’re hurt working offshore or on a vessel. You are most likely covered by the Jones Act, which gives you more protections than worker’s compensation.
Under a U.S. federal law known as the “Jones Act,” maritime workers who are hurt on the job are entitled to different legal benefits than land-based employees. These benefits include medical care, a daily wage while you’re recovering, compensation for your lost wages, and more.
Your case could take a year or more to resolve. Companies fight these cases tooth and nail because they are usually so valuable. Our goal is to get you the best result possible in the shortest amount of time.
Paying your bills after you get hurt is possible. In fact, if you qualify as a Jones Act mariner, your company is legally required to pay your medical bills and to pay you a daily wage. Our firm will help you find other ways to fill in the gaps so you can pay your bills.
Longshore and Harbor Workers are covered by their own federal law. If you’re a stevedore, if you work at a port, or if your job is shore-based, you are probably covered by this law. Contact us today about your case to get the help you need.
If you lost a loved one offshore or working on a vessel, you can file a wrongful death lawsuit. Maritime death cases involve specific, specialized laws, so it is important you hire the right attorney for your case.
In order for you to be covered under the Jones Act, you must be assigned to a “vessel” and your job must contribute to the mission of the vessel. Again, “contribute to the mission” is quite broad. Basically, any job on the vessel will fit the definition. The following is a list of the types of jobs that are often covered by the Jones Act:
Offshore oil rigs can be dangerous—even deadly—work environments, and even getting to work can create serious risks for the men and women who spend long
Maritime and offshore companies often act like they are taking care of injured employees. You, like many maritime and offshore workers, may want to wait
An injured deckhand has hired VB Attorneys after being hurt while working aboard a charter boat. In June 2018, our client was on an offshore
If you are ready to get started, give us a call toll free at 877.724.7800. The consultation is free and confidential. We will walk you through the entire legal process, answer every single question, and help you make the best decision for your future. You can also use the contact forms on our website to send us a confidential email, and we will schedule an immediate appointment for you to learn your rights. Our Board Certified attorneys know time is not on your side. Don’t wait another second to get the maritime injury settlement you deserve.