Maritime Injury Lawyer & Attorney : Vujasinovic & Beckcom : Jones Act : Serving Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi

The United States Supreme Court issued its long-awaited decision in the Exxon Valdez oil spill case.

You can read the Court's opinion by clicking here.

Once again siding with big business over the rights of individuals and families, the Court sliced down the punitive damage award from $2.5 billion dollars to $500 million dollars.

Setting aside the fact that $500 million represents less than one day of profit for Exxon Mobil, and the fact that the Court basically just made up a number out of thin air, and the fact that the punitive damage award, while large, is a drop in the bucket for Exxon, the Court once again shows a disturbing lack of confidence in the ability of American citizens to serve on juries, listen to evidence, and reach decisions.

Essentially, 8 lawyers from Washington D.C., most of whom have never actually tried a lawsuit themselves, and none of whom has any real idea what the Valdez spill did to thousands of Alaskan families and citizens, have once again substituted their judgment for the jurors and judges who actually heard the evidence in the case and reached a decision. 

The silver lining

The silver lining in the case is that the justices, perhaps unwittingly, seem to have recognized that punitive damages are recoverable in maritime law. 

For decades, most lawyers who represent Jones Act seaman and injured maritime workers have been under the impression that punitive damages were most likely not available in these types of cases.

What this has meant, as a practical matter, is that maritime defendants could treat the injured workers as poorly as they wanted, be as unsafe as they wanted, and avoid any sort of responsibility or threat of punitive damages.

The Exxon Valdez case seems to take away that defense.  Which is very helpful for injured workers, and, suprisingly from this Court, not quite as helpful to big business and insurance companies.

What do you think about the Exxon Valdez case?  Did the Court get it right?  Or should the Court defer to the jurors who actually heard the evidence and rendered a verdict?

Want to know more about maritime injury cases? 

We strive to provide the best, most professional, and most effective representation to workers in the offshore industry.  We are based in Houston, Texas.  We represent offshore workers all over the world.

To learn more about our law firm and what we can do for you, please visit the following websites:

www.vbattorneys.com

www.maritimeaccidentattorney.com

www.houstoninjuryaccidentlaw.com

If you want to know more about offshore injury claims, please take a moment to read the following articles:

1.  How to hire the best lawyer for your Jones Act or offshore injury case

2.  What is the Jones Act?

3.  What is a Longshoreman and What Are Their Legal Rights When Injured?

4.  The difference between the Jones Act and the Longshore & Harbor Worker's Compensation Act

5.  The Truth About Offshore Injury Claims.

6.  What Should You Do If You Are Injured Offshore

7.  What you should know if you were hurt offshore and your employer is giving you a hard time

8.  Should I give my employer or the insurance company a "recorded statement?"

9.  Do I need to hire a lawyer for my Jones Act or offshore injury claim?

10.  What happens when you file a Jones Act lawsuit.

11.  6 Critical Things you must know if you are injured at sea

12. The Secrets Your Employer May Not Want You To Know If You Are Injured Offshore.

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Our law firm has been hired by an injured deckhand to prosecute his Jones Act claims against Waterman Steamship. 

According to its website, Waterman is a "deep sea ocean carrier" operating U.S. flag vessels in liner service and time charter between the USA and Middle East ports. 

Our client was injured severely while working for the company.   In his lawsuit, he seeks damages for medical bills, lost past and future wages, pain and suffering disfigurement, and mental anguish.

The case is pending in Madisonville, Texas, where our client lived when he was hurt.  He was hurt on the Stephen Pless, a vessel docked in Saipan.

Want to know more about maritime injury cases? 

We strive to provide the best, most professional, and most effective representation to workers in the offshore industry.  We are based in Houston, Texas.  We represent offshore workers all over the world.

To learn more about our law firm and what we can do for you, please visit the following websites:

www.vbattorneys.com

www.maritimeaccidentattorney.com

www.houstoninjuryaccidentlaw.com

If you want to know more about offshore injury claims, please take a moment to read the following articles:

1.  How to hire the best lawyer for your Jones Act or offshore injury case

2.  What is the Jones Act?

3.  What is a Longshoreman and What Are Their Legal Rights When Injured?

4.  The difference between the Jones Act and the Longshore & Harbor Worker's Compensation Act

5.  The Truth About Offshore Injury Claims.

6.  What Should You Do If You Are Injured Offshore

7.  What you should know if you were hurt offshore and your employer is giving you a hard time

8.  Should I give my employer or the insurance company a "recorded statement?"

9.  Do I need to hire a lawyer for my Jones Act or offshore injury claim?

10.  What happens when you file a Jones Act lawsuit.

11.  6 Critical Things you must know if you are injured at sea

12. The Secrets Your Employer May Not Want You To Know If You Are Injured Offshore.

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Way Too Many Offshore Workers Are Mistreated When They Are Hurt

    It is a simple fact of life and one that our law firm has seen too many times.  

    A good, hard-working employee is injured offshore on the job through no fault of his or her own.  The employee reports the injury.  The company then either refuses to do an accident report, does a very quick but not very thorough accident report (or even an inaccurate report), and then tries to get the employee to write something or sign something giving away all their legal rights.  

    Sometimes, the company will try to make the hurt employee sign something before they will get them medical attention, a totally improper (and probably unethical) way of doing business.

    We have even seen cases where dredge companies go to the hospital after a worker is injured and try to get the injured worker to sign papers giving away important legal rights while the worker is laying in his hospital bed on medication.

    Even if the injured worker can convince the company to provide medical care, often it will just be a quick exam by a company medic (not even a doctor) who will say the injury is a bruise or blister or some other minor issue.  The medic then gives the injured employee some over-the-counter medication and orders the employee back to work.

    In more serious cases, some companies will provide immediate medical care.  

    But they will provide the care through a company medical facility using company doctors.  And those company doctors will be doing everything they can to save the company money and get the worker back to work before he or she is ready.

    It’s really amazing.  

    There are medical facilities that basically do nothing but provide services for offshore companies and other industrial type companies.  They make hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars off these companies.

    Of course they are going to put the companies’ interest first.

    This does not mean these medical facilities are dishonest or that the doctors are lying.  However, medicine can be an art as well as a science, which means there are gray areas in medicine.  

    If your case is a close call, and the choice is between saving the company money or providing a complete and full medical workup and follow-up care to you, many of these facilities are going to lean towards the saving the company money.

    Once the company has a “release to work” paper from the company doctor, even if you aren’t ready to return, they will pester you and bug you and bother you and call you and write you and demand that you come back to work.

    You know whether you are ready to return.  

    When you are still hurting, and not able to do the hard work it takes to be an offshore worker, if the company makes you go back to work you may hurt yourself even worse.  Or you may be a safety risk to your fellow workers.

    That’s why you want to make sure you are completely healed and better—both for your own health and the safety of your fellow workers.

    But if you don’t return to work when the company wants and on the company’s schedule, then you’re probably going to get fired.  
    
    The company may say you “quit” by not coming back to work.  Or the company may say you “walked off the job” because you didn’t come back.

    Really this is just a way where they can avoid responsibility for firing an injured worker.

    Offshore companies know that there are other workers who are ready, willing, and able to go offshore to make the kind of money that offshore companies pay. 

    So if an employee is injured offshore, even if it’s not his or her fault, they may be out of a job really quickly.

  Want to know more about offshore injury claims? 

Below are some links to some suggested articles offering helpful tips and advice regarding offshore injury claims.

Click here to read an article with helpful suggestions and tips on how to hire the best lawyer for your offshore injury case.

Curious about the Jones Act?  Click here for a general overview of the Jones Act.

Want to know more about the Longshore and Harbor Worker's Compensation Act?  Click here to read the article "What is a Longshoreman and What Are Their Legal Rights When Injured?

Want to know the difference between the Jones Act and the Longshore and Harbor Worker's Compensation Act?  Click here to read about the difference between the two.

What to know the truth about offshore injury cases?  Click here to read The Truth About Offshore Injury Claims.

Want to know what you should do after an offshore injury to preserve your legal rights?  Click here to read  What Should You Do If You Are Injured Offshore

If you are hurt and your employer is giving you a hard time, click here to read "I was injured on the job and my employer is giving me a hard time - What should I do"

Employer trying to get you to give a recorded statement?  Click here to learn the truth about recorded statements and the best way to handle this request.

Thinking about trying to settle your offshore injury case without talking to a lawyer first?  Click here to learn why you can settle some cases yourself but in other cases not having a lawyer may be a TERRIBLE MISTAKE.

Want to know what happens when you file an offshore injury or Jones Act case?  Click here to learn about Filing a Jones Act lawsuit.

Click here to learn about 6 Critical Things you must know if you are Injured At Sea

Your employer may be keeping secrets from you if you are hurt offshore.  Click here to read about The Secrets Your Employer May Not Want You To Know If You Are Injured Offshore.

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We handle a lot of offshore injury cases.  The workers who work on vessels, be they barges, dredges, boats, cruise ships, oil rigs, crane barges, or any other type of offshore vessel typically are asked to do hard, heavy manual work. 

All too often, in our experience, those workers suffer back, neck, shoulder, knee, or other serious orthopedic injuries as a result of inadequate equipment, staffing, training, safety precautions, or by being pushed to do their work too quickly or in unsafe conditions.

These types of injuries can be career-threatening or even, in some cases, career-ending.  Workers who must have strong backs, legs, and arms often find themselves unable to do the work when they suffer one of these types of injuries.

Often, what will happen after an injury is the company will send the worker to company-sponsored or company-affiliated doctors.  After a cursory or quick medical examination, the doctor will simply send the worker back to work on "light duty" or will even give a full release, without doing a complete or thorough medical examination and before the worker is ready to return to work. 

When the worker tells the company that he is not ready to return, the company will give two stark choices--return to work or lose your job.

Not much of a choice.

Fortunately, the Jones Act and maritime law provides some legal protection to workers in this situation.  For example, under the Jones Act  and maritime law, you are allowed to go to a doctor of your own choosing.  If you are not physically ready to go back to work, the companies should be paying part of your salary in the form of maintenance payments and should be faciiliating your medical treatment and paying the doctors promptly.

If the company (or its insurance companies) don't cooperate and do everything reasonably in their power to assist you during your recovery, they may very well be running afoul of the law.

You can make a legal claim if the company and its insurance company do not help facilitate your medical care and act reasonably when you are injured.  In these situations, it is important that you talk with an experienced Jones Act or maritime injury lawyer, a lawyer you are comfortable with who has the experience and resources to help you get a full and fair recovery.

This is particularly important when your injury is career-threatening or possibly career-ending.

Don't fall into the "trap" that you must listen only to the company-referred doctor. 

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Our firm is currently prosecuting a Jones Act case against Capital Inland Marine and Kirby Inland Marine, two Texas-based towing and barge companies.

You can find website links for Kirby by clicking on www.kirbycorp.com.  Capital Inland Marine does not appear to have a website.

The injured party was working as a tankerman / deckhand for Capital Inland Marine.  The lawsuit alleges that he was severely injured when he fell in a dangerous area of the vessel he was working on.

We are looking for any information, documents, etc. regarding either Kirby Inland Marine or Capital Inland Marine relating to any dangerous conditions or injury-causing events on their vessels.

If you have such information and would like to share it, please contact Cathy at 713.224.7800.

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Reporting your injury in a timely fashion is one of the most important things you can do if you are injured offshore. 

Initially, you may think your injury is not serious.  However, if the injury turns out to be serious, your company, and its insurance company, may later claim that you weren't hurt or aren't hurt as bad as you claim if there is no report of the accident.

Any accident involving any injury, no matter how minor, should be reported immediately.  The right thing to do, and what most companies expect, is that you will tell them when you are injured.  You should make a truthful report.  You should not exagerate your injuries and you should not minimize them either.  You should make sure that you identify any witnesses and any possible reasons for the accident.

The company should then get the proper and timely medical care you need.  If they don't, consider consulting with an experienced Jones Act or maritime lawyer.  They can usually make arrangements for you to get proper medical care.

Companies do not like employees who make up injuries or employees who fail to report injuries timely.  Simply put, the best policy is to always report any accident or injury when it happens, whether you think it is serious or not.

We have had cases involving serious back, neck, shoulder, or other injuries that did not at first seem as serious as they turned out to be.  Not reporting your injury can really hurt your case.

Also, not reporting your injury immediately can delay medical care, which can then make the situation even worse for all involved. 

You may think that you will look better to the company if you don't report your injury or if you just try to "tough it out."  This is almost never true.  And any company that holds it against you for reporting an accident or injury is not following industry standards and policies or good common sense.

No matter where you live, we can help you if the company does not let you report your injury or accident or doesn't complete a proper report and do a full investigation.  If you run into a situation where the company is not handling your accident or injury claim the right way, feel free to call us for help and advice.

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A barge worker's widow recently filed a lawsuit against a barge company and a contracting company after her husband was killed. 

In the lawsuit, the widow claims that her deceased husband died when he slipped and fell on an icy barge.  The barge was empty.  The lawsuit claims that the barge company failed to provide the worker with a safe place to work.

About this case and maritime wrongful death claims

Under maritime law, the direct descendents of deceased workers may be able to bring claims for wrongful death.  Under most claims, the survivors must prove that the company did something "negligent" to cause the death or that the vessel was "unseaworthy" and that caused the subject accident or death.  The damages available differ depending on a lot of factors, but if the survivors were financially dependent on the deceased worker, they generally can collect damages for the loss of financial support.

The negligence standards differ depending on whether the case is a Jones Act case, a Longshore and Harbor Worker's Compensation Act case, a General Maritime Law case, or some other case.

Most of the time, only an experienced maritime and Jones Act lawyer will be able to tell you what law you can file under and what claims you can bring. 

Most important, don't trust the insurance company to tell you your rights.  Hire your own independent lawyer to advise you.

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A boiler explosion aboard the SS Norway which killed 8 crew members and injured 17 in 2003 has been determined to be due to the improper maintenance and inspection of the ship’s team chamber. The SS Norway was Norwegian Cruise Line’s only steam-powered ship, and was once the world’s largest passenger ship.

According to a report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board, NCL shipboard engineers were aware of the cracking of the boiler but did not take appropriate action.

If you have been injured at sea, feel free to call us to learn about your legal rights.

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Selecting the Right Lawyer May Be The Most Important Decision You Make
By Brian Beckcom

When you suffer a serious injury working offshore, or if a loved one is killed working offshore, selecting which lawyer will represent you in your case is one of the most important decision you will ever make for your case, if not the most important decision.  If your injury is career-threatening or career ending, or if the family breadwinner has been killed or disabled, obtaining a good monetary result in your case may be the most important thing that could happen financially.

Frankly, not many lawyers handle Jones Act, Longshore, Injury at Sea, or Maritime Injury cases on a regular basis. 

In fact, the vast majority of lawyers have never handled a Jones Act or Maritime Injury case in their entire career.

Now, some lawyers will tell you they have experience or are able to handle your case.  But before you hire a lawyer to handle any offshore injury case, you should consider the following five things:

1.  Don't hire the first lawyer you talk to.  Interview more than one lawyer.  Hiring a lawyer is a very personal decision.  Some lawyers are great for particular clients and some just don't "fit" right.  So shop around a little before making your decision.

2.  Ask the lawyer directly how many offshore injury cases he or she has handled in his or her entire career.  If the lawyer doesn't give you a direct answer, consider finding another lawyer to represent you.

3.  Ask the lawyer if he or she is board-certified in any field of law? 

4.  Find out about past case results by asking the lawyer for a list of case results.  Any competent lawyer should be able to provide this to you relatively easily.

5.  Ask the lawyer whether he has ever published any articles or given any speeches on Jones Act, Longshore, or Maritime Injury cases.  Obviously, it is not necessary for the lawyer to have published articles for he or she to be a good lawyer--but it doesn't hurt.

Remember, hiring a lawyer is a personal decision and you certainly don't have to hire the first one you interview.  You should shop around a little bit, ask the right questions, and only hire an attorney once you are satisfied with the answers to your questions and comfortable with the attorney and his assistants on a personal level.

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About the author

Brian Beckcom is a board-certified personal injury trial lawyer with extensive experience handling serious personal injury and wrongful death matters, including Jones Act, Longshore, and General Maritime Injury cases.

Mr. Beckcom practices at Vujasinovic & Beckcom, P.L.L.C., a Houston-based law firm with a national practice.

To contact Mr. Beckcom and schedule an appointment to discuss your legal matter, call toll free 877.724.7800.

To learn more about the Mr. Beckcom and his firm's practice, visit the following websites:

www.vbattorneys.com
www.maritimeaccidentattorney.com
www.themaritimelawyer.com

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SEAMEN'S ALERT

Houston, Texas - December 22, 2007

If you are injured offshore, you SHOULD NOT sign any paperwork given to you by your employer UNTIL YOU HAVE HAD THE PAPERS REVIEWED BY YOUR OWN, INDEPENDENT ATTORNEY!.  Unless, of course, you want to eliminate or severely limit your legal rights.

Recently, many employers (including K-Sea Transportation Co., Weeks Marine, and Great Lakes Dredging) have coerced their injured workers into signing papers after they are hurt which severely limit the injured workers' rights in court.  In some cases, signing these papers may result in the injured worker loosing thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

So unless you want to lose your legal rights, or severely limit, do not sign any papers given to you by your employer after you are hurt unless you have those papers reviewed by an independent lawyer you select.  (In other words, don't rely on legal advise from a company-selected lawyer).

If you want to read a case where an injured worker basically signed away many of his legal rights, look at Barbieri v. K-Sea Transportation Corp., 2006 WL 3751215 (E.D.N.Y. Dec. 19, 2006).

Mr. Beckcom is a Board-Certified Personal Injury Lawyer who represents individuals and families.  Mr. Beckcom represents injured offshore workers and railroad workers in Texas and across the nation and the world. 

If you would like to speak with Mr. Beckcom about your potential legal case, you can call his law firm and schedule a telephone conference.  The toll free number is 877.724.7800

You can visit one of the firm's website to learn more about what we do:

www.vbattorneys.com
www.themaritimelawyer.com
www.maritimeaccidentattorney.com

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About the firm

Vujasinovic & Beckcom, P.L.L.C. is a firm of board certified personal injury trial lawyers who handle serious injury and death cases, as well as business and insurance cases, on a contingency fee basis. 

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Houston, Texas

A tankerman employed by Kirby Inland Marine has filed a lawsuit against the company for personal injury damages.  The lawsuit is brought under the Jones Act and General Maritime Law.

According to the lawsuit, the injured employed was badly hurt as a result of unsafe equipment on a Kirby barge, including unsafe stairs and poor lighting.

The worker claims he qualifies as a Jones Act seaman and is entitled to maintenance and cure, negligence damages, and damages for the unseaworthiness of the vessel.

The worker has hired Brian Beckcom and his law firm, Vujasinovic & Beckcom, P.L.L.C. to represent him in his case.

For more information about the Jones Act or General Maritime Law, please contact Brian Beckcom at 713.224.7800, or toll free at 877.724.7800, or visit one of the firm's websites:

www.vbattorneys.com
www.themaritimelawyer.com
www.maritimeaccidentattorney.com

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About the firm

Vujasinovic & Beckcom, P.L.L.C. is a firm of board certified personal injury trial lawyers who handle serious injury and death cases, as well as business and insurance cases, on a contingency fee basis.  The firm has a substantial docket of Jones Act and maritime injury cases.

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Juan Gonzales, a temporary worker on a jack-up rig, has brought a claim against Beacon Maritime and Murphy Oil for injuries he sustained when he was hit by flying slag. 

Mr. Gonzales is bring his claims under the Jones Act, which protects injured offshore workers and seamen.  Mr. Gonzales' claims includes Murphy Oil and Beacon Maritime's failure to provide safe equipment, a safe working environment, and failing to provide medical care quickly enough.

For more information about the Jones Act or General Maritime Law, please contact Brian Beckcom at 713.224.7800, or toll free at 877.724.7800, or visit one of the firm's websites:

www.vbattorneys.com
www.themaritimelawyer.com
www.maritimeaccidentattorney.com

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About the firm

Vujasinovic & Beckcom, P.L.L.C. is a firm of board certified personal injury trial lawyers who handle serious injury and death cases, as well as business and insurance cases, on a contingency fee basis.  The firm has a substantial docket of Jones Act and maritime injury cases.

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Norweigian Cruse Lines Agrees to Settlement with Injured Worker

Press Release - October 2007, Houston, Texas

Norweigian Cruse Lines (NCL America) has agreed to settle a case filed by an injured worker.  The worker was injured while working aboard the Pride of America, a cruse ship stationed in Hawaii.

The employee injured his finger, arm, and neck while performing a life boat transfer operation.  He received a surgery on his finger and arm, and one of his treating doctors wrote a report stating that the worker needed surgery on his neck as well.  The injured Norweigian Cruse Lines employee incurred medical bills, lost wages, impairment, and pain and suffering.

The worker hired Brian Beckcom and the law firm of Vujasinovic & Beckcom, P.L.L.C. to handle his case.  A lawsuit was filed under the Jones Act and General Maritime Law to recoup medical bills, lost wages, maintenance and cure, impairment, and pain and suffering damages.

The case settled in October 2007.  It was filed in the 333rd District Court of Harris County, Texas.

According to Mr. Beckcom, "Norweigian Cruse Lines denied any responsibility to the injured worker and denied it was negligent or that it was responsible for any damages.  We were fortunate to be able to obtain a prompt and fair settlement of this case using the Jones Act and General Maritime Law."

For more information, please contact Brian Beckcom at 713.224.7800, or toll free at 877.724.7800, or visit one of the firm's websites:

www.vbattorneys.com
www.themaritimelawyer.com
www.maritimeaccidentattorney.com

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About the firm

Vujasinovic & Beckcom, P.L.L.C. is a firm of board certified personal injury trial lawyers who handle serious injury and death cases, as well as business and insurance cases, on a contingency fee basis.  The firm has a substantial docket of Jones Act and maritime injury cases.

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Injured offshore workers often ask whether they are entitled to bring a claim against their employer if they are injured onshore.

The answer is "Yes," Jones Act seaman may bring a claim against their Jones Act employer even if they weren't injured on the water, or on the boat, as long as they were injured "in the service of the ship."

This has been true at least since 1966, when the United State Supreme Court decided the Hopson v. Texaco case.  (You can find that case at 383 U.S. 262).  In the Hopson case, a seaman was traveling to the U.S. Consul in a taxicab in a foreign country.  The tax crashed, the seaman was hurt, and he sued his Jones Act employer.

The seaman was going to the U.S. Consul as part of his job duties (he was going to get papers so he could get medical care in the United States).

The Supreme Court held that the Jones Act employer was responsible to the injured employee and liable for the negligence of the taxi driver since the taxi driver was acting as an agent of the Jones Act employer.

So, if you qualify as a Jones Act seaman, you may recover damages even if you are not injured on a vessel.

For more information, please contact Brian Beckcom at 713.224.7800, or toll free at 877.724.7800, or visit one of the firm's websites:

www.vbattorneys.com
www.themaritimelawyer.com
www.maritimeaccidentattorney.com

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About the firm

Brian Beckcom is a Board Certified Personal Injury Attorney at Vujasinovic & Beckcom, P.L.L.C., a Houston, Texas-based law firm with a national practice.  All the attorneys at the firm are board certified in personal injury law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. 

The firm handles serious injury and death cases, as well as business and insurance cases, on a contingency fee basis.  The firm has a substantial docket of Jones Act and maritime injury cases.

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Global Industries Offshore has agreed to settle a Jones Act case recently.  The case was brought by a rigger who was injured on the Global REM Commander dive vessel.  The rigger was injured when a defective chain binder failed, striking him violently in the face, shattering his teeth and gums, and injuring his neck.

The rigger hired Brian Beckcom of Vujasinovic & Beckcom, a Houston-based maritime and Jones Act law firm, to handle his case.  After one year of work, the case was settled for a significant confidential amount.

According to the injured seaman's attorney, Brian Beckcom, the case was complicated by the fact that Global Offshore claimed that the rigger was not a Jones Act seaman, destroyed or lost the defective chain binder after the accident, and blamed at least three other companies for the rigger's injuries.

"This case demonstrates that Jones Act cases need experienced Jones Act attorneys.  The case was complicated from a legal and factual standpoint.  We are glad that our client was able to secure a substantial settlement despite all the obstacles Global Offshore's lawyers threw up to try to avoid responsibility to him."

For more information, please contact Brian Beckcom at 713.224.7800, or toll free at 877.724.7800, or visit one of the firm's websites:

www.vbattorneys.com
www.themaritimelawyer.com
www.maritimeaccidentattorney.com

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About the firm

Vujasinovic & Beckcom, P.L.L.C. is a firm of board certified personal injury trial lawyers who handle serious injury and death cases, as well as business and insurance cases, on a contingency fee basis.  The firm has a substantial docket of Jones Act and maritime injury cases.

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The Southeast Texas Record, a propaganda "newspaper" for the Chamber of Commerce, reports on one of our Jones Act cases, Paul Perronne v. Universal Sodexho.

You can read about the story by clicking the link below:

Click here to read about one of our firm's Beaumont Jones Act cases.

For more information, please contact Brian Beckcom at 713.224.7800, or toll free at 877.724.7800, or visit one of the firm's websites:

www.vbattorneys.com
www.themaritimelawyer.com
www.maritimeaccidentattorney.com

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About the firm

Vujasinovic & Beckcom, P.L.L.C. is a firm of board certified personal injury trial lawyers who handle serious injury and death cases, as well as business and insurance cases, on a contingency fee basis.  The firm has a substantial docket of Jones Act and maritime injury cases.

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Seaman Jacob Robichaux settled his Jones Act case against the Midnight Rider vessel, Helix International Energy Solutions Group, Cal Div Internaional and Mariner Energy.  The settlement occurred on September 8 and it is confidential.

Robichaux was employed by Helix Energy Solutions as a crewmember on the Midnight Rider.  While working, he injured his head, back, and neck.  He claimed the vessel was unseaworthy and that the defendants were negligent.  He brought his claims under the Jones Act.

Robichaux sought $5 million dollars in his lawsuit.  His damages included lost wages, medical expenses, pain, suffering, impairment and other related expenses. 

Read more about the case by clicking here.

Injured Offshore?

Have you been injured offshore?  If you are looking for an attorney to represent you, call the lawyers at Vujasinovic & Beckcom, P.L.L.C.   All the lawyers are board certified injury specialists with extensive knowledge regarding offshore injuries, the Jones Act, and maritime law.

To read more about the firm, visit its main website at www.vbattorneys.com or its dedicated maritime website at www.maritimeaccidentattorney.com.

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Tankerman was injured while using a crossover hose on a Grifco barge

Press Release - For immediate release - September 2007

Houston, Texas - A tankerman employed by Grifco Transportation, has brought claims of negligence, unseaworthiness, and for recovery of maintenance and cure against Grifco Transportation, a barge company based in Texas.  The claims are brought under the Jones Act and General Maritime Law.

The injured tankerman claims that he was severely manipulating a cross-over hose on one of Grifco's vessels.  Before being injured on the job, he was an able-bodied seaman with no significant prior injuries.  He is now completely unable to perform his duties as a tankerman and has lost wages, both past and future.  He has received surgery.

The tankerman hired Brian Beckcom and Vuk Vujasinovic at Vujasinovic & Beckcom, P.L.L.C. to handle his Jones Act case.  Mr. Beckcom reports that "most maritime employers are good to their workers and treat safety as the most important part of any job.  However, unfortunately, some employers cut corners on safety and don't treat their workers right after they are injured." 

The case is pending in Neuces County, Corpus Christi, Texas.

About the firm

Vujasinovic & Beckcom, P.L.L.C. is a full service personal injury law firm.  The firm handles cases in Texas and nationwide.  Because of its reputation for success, the firm is often hired by injured offshore workers and their families to handle serious injury and death cases.

You can read more about the law firm by clicking www.vbattorneys.com or by visiting their maritime website, www.maritimeaccidentattorney.com.

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