They
will do whatever they feel that they can get away with in order to
protect their money, even if it’s at the expense of the dockhand,
deckhand, and roughneck. They will ask you to sign away your rights for
a paltry 6 months worth of pay. They will threaten and impose immense
legal pressures including employment termination in order to protect
their profits and assets. This is neither legal nor ethical. It is
nothing more than grownup bullying. It is the employer’s responsibility
to provide a safe work environment, and appropriate compensation for
medical purposes and injuries sustained, as well as adequate time off
for recovery. When the injuries are great, which they tend to be in
this industry, the medical costs, lost pay, and time off tend to be
expensive. The shipowners’, whether they be a corporate entity or an
individual, know that this coming straight out of their pocket in the
form of direct expenses, or raised premiums for insurance, neither of
which are preferable. They will take advantage of you if they can, and
even if they can’t, they will still try. Don’t let them get away with
it. Fight, and you can win.
If you’ve ever been a deckhand on a ship or have spent significant amount of time working on an offshore oil rig, you have no delusions of how dangerous the work can be, and how often accidents can occur in such a precarious work environment. With the inevitability of these accidents, sooner or later you will need the services of an offshore injury lawyer. There are always multiple injuries a year that occur on a rig or on a oil tanker or boat, and usually a few deaths as well. This simply comes with the territory. This does not mean that you don’t have options, or that you are unprotected. A personal injury lawyer is not enough, and even in the state of California, a personal injury lawyer Los Angeles won’t have enough knowledge or experience to be able to be of much use. You need attorneys that are experienced in this field, there simply is no substitute for experience, especially when the stakes are this high. A good offshore injury lawyer will be familiar with the Jones Act, Death on the High Seas Act, Longshore and Harbor Worker’s Compensation Act, and General Maritime Law. It is absolutely paramount to be aware of what your rights are, and what you are entitled to when injured or if a family member loses a life while working on an offshore oil rig. Needless to say, when something of this nature occurs, the first reaction of a shipowner or a corporation will be to protect themselves, especially their profits.
