Jones Act Maritime Lawyer : Houston Jones Act & Maritime Injury Lawyer & Attorney : Arnold & Itkin Law Firm : Offshore Injury, Maritime Law : Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida

Houston maritime lawyers Kurt Arnold and Paul Skrabanek of Arnold & Itkin LLP recently filed suit on behalf of a maritime worker from Crowley, Texas, who was injured while boarding a vessel owned by Maritech Resources, Inc. The injury occurred when the plaintiff was exiting a Rotorcraft Leasing Co., L.L.C. helicopter and fell upon the vessel’s helideck. The victim sustained a number of injuries in the fall, including a closed head injury that left the worker unconscious for nearly 30 minutes. The injury was caused by the negligence of the defendant's employees, who carelessly left foreign substances on the helideck. The case is currently pending in Galveston County Court.

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Attorneys Kurt Arnold, Jason Itkin, and Mike Pierce resolved a Jones Act Seaman injury case for $14 million just two days before going to trial. Arnold & Itkin LLP lawyers represented the seaman after he suffered a head injury on the Hercules 15 inland barge. The Hercules 15 was located in Lake Washington, Louisiana at the time of the incident. The seaman's injury occurred when Hercules employees tack welded a three foot pipe to the derrick and then forgot to remove it before starting drilling operations. The heavy pipe was jarred loose and hit the plaintiff in the head.

The case was filed in Galveston County Court in March 2008. The case was set for trial February 2, 2009. Hercules settled the entire case for $14 million on the eve of trial.

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In New Orleans, Louisiana, the Times-Picayune reported that an accident claimed the life of a deckhand aboard a barge that was headed for the Intracoastal Waterway.  26-year-old Christopher Oncale of Prarieville, Louisiana was killed when he was struck in the head by a fitting the barge had been tied to.  The crew tied the barge to a fitting of the Algiers Lock to keep the barge from moving in the canal.  The fitting broke and flew threw the air striking the deckhand in the head.

The accident underscores the hazardous nature of maritime work where even routine operations can hold substantial risk for crew.  The negligent acts of other crew members or the failure of employers to provide safe working conditions can lead to accidents with catastrophic consequences. The Jones Act and other maritime laws protect workers from these risks and provide remedies for workers who are injured as a result of them.  If you or anyone you know has been seriously injured in a maritime accident, or if you have questions about the Jones Act and other maritime laws, contact the Houston Jones Act & maritime lawyers at Arnold & Itkin LLP.

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The Jones Act lawyers of Arnold & Itkin LLP represent an injured seaman in a maritime lawsuit against Hercules Offshore, Inc. brought pursuant to the Jones Act.  The maritime worker was seriously injured while working as a floorhand on a Hercules drilling rig.  He was hit in the head with the rig’s Kelly because a brake was not properly working.  As a result of the defective brake, the seaman sustained crippling head, neck, and back injuries.   His case is pending in Galveston County, Texas.

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Houston, Texas maritime attorneys at Arnold & Itkin LLP are representing an injured Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines entertainer. The cruise ship employee was rehearsing his dance routine when he was hit in the head by the elbow of another dancer. The worker did not receive any real medical attention at the time the injury occurred. A few days later, the same thing happened again. The injured worker has had seizures, severe headaches, neck pain, and back pain since his injury. The cruise ship worker loved his dancing job, but will probably be unable to return to that line of work as a result of his injury.

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