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Based in Houston, Texas, the Jones Act and maritime lawyers of Gordon, Elias & Seely, LLP serve the needs of seamen and offshore workers throughout the state, along the Gulf Coast and across the nation. We provide representation to pursue full and fair compensation following an injury suffered in the normal scope of work in cases where the vessel owner, captain or a co-worker is at fault.
Jones Act clients are permitted to pursue compensation for past and future expenses related to the suffered injury. Along with long-standing maintenance and cure awards, the Jones Act can significantly increase your potential compensation.
The doctrine of maintenance and cure is one of the most important rights of seamen under general maritime law. After a serious maritime accident, both medical bills and regular bills may pile up while you’re unable to work. Maintenance and cure lawyers will help you understand your legal rights under the doctrine of maintenance and cure. It is important to know that regardless of how the accident occurs, a maritime employer has an obligation to provide maintenance and cure benefits to the injured seaman, whether the seaman caused the injury or someone else did. In the cases of for outrageous conduct on the part of an employer who willfully withholds your rightful maintenance and cure after an injury, maintenance and cure attorneys will file for not only for your rightful benefits, but also seek punitive damages.
A question that our maintenance and cure lawyers often hear from injured seamen is, “What expenses will maintenance and cure cover?” Maintenance includes money for the seaman’s food, lodging, and transportation, in addition to regular wages. Cure benefits include medical expenses that are deemed necessary such as hospital bills, doctor’s bills, diagnostic tests, MRI and CT scans, physical therapy and prescription medicines. Some employers want to selectively decide which medical services they’ll cover. Do not feel pressured into seeing medical physicians your employer recommends. A savvy maintenance and cure attorney will suggest that you find an independent doctor for a medical evaluation of your injuries and recommendations as to what will be required to achieve optimum recovery. Maintenance and cure benefits are supposed to be paid out by the employer until the seaman has regained his/her health. Speak to a Gordon, Elias & Seely, LLP maintenance and cure lawyer who can review the specifics of your situation with you at no charge and advise you of your legal options.
Texas, like every other Gulf Coast state, has a healthy offshore and maritime industry. Operating all along the coast, from Port Arthur to Port Isabel and all points in between, the oil, natural gas, fishing and water recreation industries employ thousands of seamen. If you are a maritime worker and have been injured in the course of your job you may be entitled to compensation. Search “Maritime Lawyer Texas”
Our Jones Act and Houston maritime law attorneys work with clients throughout the state and across the country who have been injured in offshore accidents. We work with clients in Corpus Christi, Galveston, Freeport, Port Arthur, Sabine, Beaumont and across the state of Texas.
Maritime work is among the most rewarding, the most difficult and the most dangerous jobs in the nation. Our firm has decades of combined experience, and over this time, we have handled most every type of Jones Act case, including cases involving:
If you have been injured in the course of work about an American flagged vessel, you may have rights under the Jones Act and other federal maritime laws. Consult with a lawyer at Gordon, Elias & Seely, LLP to fully understand your options.
In March, 2010, Chevron deployed a brand new ultra-deepwater drillship in the Gulf of Mexico to develop the Jack, St. Malo and Buckskin oil and gas discoveries. The discoveries are about 190 miles (306 km) southeast of Houston. The Discoverer Inspiration, operating under a five-year contract between Chevron and Transocean Ltd, will drill exploration wells in the Buckskin area. The Inspiration is the second Transocean deepwater drill ship built to Chevron specifications and deployed in recent months. The Discoverer Clear Leader went to work last August. Both are under five-year contract.
There are many other types of vessels such as spar, tension leg platforms, (TLP) and other structures that are constructed to remove petroleum from the seabed floor. It is essential that you retain maritime lawyers that know what a “vessel” is and what is not.
Contact us today to schedule a free initial consultation with our Jones Act and maritime law attorneys today. We put decades of combined experience and a commitment to helping you recover full and fair compensation to work for you. Call us at (800) 773-6770 or contact us online.