Five mistakes that can sink your Jones Act or offshore injury case
Our firm receives a lot of calls from workers in the offshore injuries. We also receive a lot of calls from lawyers with clients who were hurt offshore.
Often, these lawyers have never handled an offshore injury or wrongful death case and want our advice or want us to accept a case they have been working on.
We are happy to help. However, it is always much better to call us soon after your injury or accident claim.
Why? Because if you don't, you may accidentally do something to sink your case before it even gets started.
We see the same mistakes again and again. They are easy to avoid. But if you've never been in the situation before, you may not even know you are making a mistake before it's already made.
Here are five common mistakes that can sink your offshore injury claim:
1. Not reporting your accident immediately.
If you don't report your accident, the company will claim it didn't happen and basically call you a liar. It is especially important to report your accident immediately if there were no witnesses.
2. Giving the company or insurance people a written or recorded statement before you talk to a lawyer.
If you are hurt, the company (or its insurance people) will try to get you to give a tape-recorded statement or to sign a written statement. DON'T DO IT!. The company (and its insurance people) are experts at tricking you into saying something that may haunt you later on.
It is, however, okay to give a brief description on the company accident report.
3. Not seeking medical care immediately.
Again, if you do not seek medical care immediately and try to "tough it out" instead, the company will claim that you're making up the injury later. If you think there is any chance you were hurt, seek good medical care.
4. Hiding past accidents from your lawyer
Many offshore workers have suffered more than one accident because the nature of the work is so dangerous. You need to let your lawyer know about your other injuries. If you don't, and you are caught in a lie, it will destroy your credibility and damage your case severely.
If you are honest, however, most of the time previous injuries are not that big of a deal.
5. Hiring a lawyer who has never handled a Jones Act or maritime injury case
Don't hire the first lawyer you talk to! Don't hire a lawyer just because a friend recommends him or her. Don't hire a lawyer because that lawyer shouts the loudest or has the most commercials.
Hire a lawyer you like, who deals with you openly and honestly, and most important, hire a lawyer who actually has experience handling cases like yours.
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.
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.
