Houston Maritime Injury Attorneys Applaud Commercial Shrimping Safety Program
Houston maritime attorneys Kurt Arnold and Jason Itkin recently applauded an initiative to reduce deaths and injuries in the commercial shrimping industry by providing customized safety classes and training for Gulf shrimpers.
The program is the result of a partnership between the University of Texas Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention and Education and the U.S. Coast Guard.
“We were gratified to learn of this partnership that is aimed at seeking ways to stem the tide of accidents and injuries among Gulf shrimp boat workers,” said Arnold, a founding partner of Arnold & Itkin LLP and an experienced Houston maritime accident attorney.
“We hope all Gulf shrimping firms will seek out this additional education and training for their working crews and managers,” Arnold said.
A study by the Southwest Center found that shrimping is the most dangerous job in commercial fishing. The Southwest Center’s director, Dr. Jeffrey Levin, reported drowning and becoming caught in machinery as the top two causes of commercial fishing deaths.
The outreach program, mentioned here earlier, has reached about 500 of the several thousand Gulf shrimp fishermen as of late July, according to the Associated Press.
“As maritime attorneys, we see the disabling injuries that are all too common among shrimpers and commercial fishermen of all kinds, as well as among other maritime crews,” said Itkin, a veteran Houston maritime injury lawyer and Arnold & Itkin LLP founding partner.
“Clearer communication and additional training is certain to be helpful. We applaud the partnership of the Southwest Center and the Coast Guard, and the initiative of those shrimpers who have already participated in the new program,” Itkin said.
Unfortunately, too many injuries and deaths on fishing boats are not the result of employee conduct but, rather, the result of boat owners’ and employers’ recklessness and negligence, Arnold said.
“When workers are injured because of negligence or recklessness, they or their families need to act quickly to contact attorneys who are well versed in maritime law, the Jones Act and other avenues for securing proper compensation for the costs, pain and suffering that catastrophic injuries entail,” Arnold said.
The maritime lawyers at Arnold & Itkin LLP, a Houston personal injury law firm, provide legal guidance on all aspects of maritime law and the benefits that offshore workers are entitled to under the Jones Act, the Death on the High Seas Act, the principle of maintenance and cure, or the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act.
Arnold & Itkin LLP handles maritime claims at port cities along the Gulf Coast in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The firm can be contacted toll free at (877) 398-4972 or using the firm's online form.
