When to File an Offshore Oil Rig Injury Lawsuit

Offshore oil rig injury cases are unique to the injured individual and the company which they work for. Under the Jones Act, this type of injury should be completely compensated for, whether referring to medical expenses are lost time. Offshore oil rig injury lawyers are equipped to handle these unique and difficult cases, but in order to do so the injured party has to recognize the importance of calling one of these specialized attorneys. After all, just as a child can not reach the top shelf without asking for help, an injured party can not be represented unless they call for help.

The number one reason that an injured worker does not file an offshore oil rig injury lawsuit is because they don't know when it is appropriate to seek the advice of an attorney. The accident itself was most likely traumatic and dramatic, and involved a lot of effort to get the injured party back to solid ground in order to get them the best treatment possible. A lot of precious blood, fluids, nerve cells, and other vital organ functions can be lost during that time. Many companies require a waiver to be signed upon hiring that they are not responsible for injury losses between the time of the accident and the time of arrival at the hospital.


In many cases these waivers are completely illegal under the Jones Act, not to mention other basic standards of employment. There really is only one answer to the question regarding when to call an offshore oil rig injury lawyer. As soon as humanly possible. While there are doctors and nurses and specialists who may be working on your behalf to save what they can and to return you to pre-injury status, there isn't anyone looking out for your rights.

There isn't anyone who is seeking to make sure the right paperwork is being filed and that whatever mutterings of liability you may be coerced into agreeing to while you are coming out of anesthesia are inadmissible as evidence. There isn't anyone who is covering your legal rights. The sooner you pick up the phone and call a lawyer, the sooner there will be someone looking after your legal wellbeing while everyone else is focusing on your physical wellbeing.

Family members, next of kin, powers of attorneys, and other important people in the life of an oil rig worker should absolutely be instructed to contact an offshore oil rig injury lawyer before leaving for offshore duty. In the event of a serious accident, workers really need someone to protect their rights in the event of serious burns, unconsciousness, or any type of near fatal injury. Sometimes just the event of having a lawyer on record means that an injured party received better, more prompt care.

This is highly unfair, but there is enough reflection of truth to the statement that it is completely worth having one on record. Hopefully there will never be cause to contact an attorney or to file an offshore oil rig injury lawsuit. It is a situation of preparing for the worst but hoping for the best. Filing a lawsuit is an exhaustive process that should only be considered when negotiations have failed.

It is difficult for injured parties to understand that their injury may entitle them to a large award, depending on the merits of their case. Most people who are seriously injured while on the job simply want to recover and to participate in life to the fullest. An offshore oil rig injury lawsuit doesn't seem like a means of getting there. Of course, whether to follow through on any particular case is completely up to the injured party, but the point of filing a lawsuit is to maintain as close to the quality of life the injured party had before the accident.

Sometimes the only compensation which can be offered is monetary. When an injury occurs that is detrimental to the mobility or wellbeing of the party, the only option we have in this country is to file lawsuits in hopes that at the very least, without financial strain, life can move forward with reasonable dignity. Offshore oil rig injury lawyers are here to help compensate the injured party for all they have lost through their tragic accident.

Author: Nick Johnson

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Learning to Cope with an Offshore Oil Rig Injury

Offshore oil rig injury lawyers have seen some amazing survival stories. It is no secret that when an injury occurs, they can be remarkably serious and present exceptional danger. In most cases, the Jones Act covers the expenses related to the injury however, there have been a small percentage of injured individuals who have had to seek out an expert offshore oil rig injury attorney in order to get their expenses covered.

Let's not be foolish. There are risks that come with jobs, and some jobs involve a higher level of risk than others.

Oil rig companies cringe at the word injury. Offshore oil rig injury lawyers should most likely be the second phone call placed after the injured party returns to solid ground. The first phone call should always be to the family members, especially the mother. Any competent attorney will tell you, it's very important how you deal with the insurance company, doctors, and even fellow co-worker.



An innocent comment can cost you thousands upon thousands of dollars in medical expenses. The Jones Act is in place to protect the special needs of offshore oil rig workers. However, just like ordinary worker's compensation plans, the insurance company would love to find your claim voided. Insurance companies are in business to make money, not spend it, and the instant they can save a few thousand dollars, don't think that they'll be concerned with how this may affect your family or your house payment.

Ironically, a large number of injured rig workers are hesitant to call an offshore oil rig lawyer after an injury. Their loyalties to their company are admirable, but reality is clear and a company isn't worth the health of any employee. Cases almost invariably begin with an injured worker who didn't call a lawyer right away.

The majority of offshore oil rig injury cases begin with a compliant and willing injured worker who slowly begins to realize that their rights under the Jones Act are being subtly trampled. Only then do most sea going people reach for the phone and call an attorney. A good percentage of these cases end up going from a compliant injured party to a lawsuit in a matter of a year.

Many sea going employees live by a code of conduct that is highly honorable and notable. Too many of these highly honorable men and women do not realize that an offshore oil rig injury lawsuit is not taking more than (or asking for more than) is rightfully theirs. Many insurance companies rely in this unwritten code of conduct to dissuade potential litigants from filing a lawsuit. This "power of persuasion" is in fact illegal, yet it is employed by oil rig insurance companies throughout the world to keep their legal costs to a minimum whenever possible.

Offshore oil rig injury cases are nothing new and nothing that can be accomplished with a fly by night lawyer. Naturally, the nature of the lawyer will in effect determine the power of the outcome of any injury case. Violations of the Jones Act have been around for as long as the Jones Act.

Specialized lawyers were only too soon to follow and pretty soon a niche industry was born. The niche industry was born from necessity rather than desire, and before long offshore oil rig injury cases were becoming more commonplace with regard to the care that injured workers were receiving.

Every oil rig worker deserves the proper care for injury under law, and that's at a bare minimum. Insurance companies, which naturally need to be skeptical in regards to claims, are turning every long term case in to a lawsuit simply by denying the injured workers their most basic of rights.

Author: Nick Johnso

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