Oil rig and offshore injuries are materially different from ordinary workplace injuries because qualifying maritime workers are not exclusively limited to worker’s compensation. The Jones Act allows injured seaman to pursue full damages directly from employers, including lost wages, pain and suffering, and long-term medical care needs.

A Jones Act seaman must contribute to the mission of a vessel in navigation and have a substantial connection to that vessel in both duration and nature. For example, jack-up rigs, semi-submersibles, and drill ships count as vessels. Fixed platforms generally do not. Seaman status is one of the most heavily contested issues when an offshore injury occurs. An injured seaman can be misclassified. That is why experienced Louisiana maritime attorneys matter from day one.

Your Rights As A Seaman After an Injury:

Your employer must pay your living expenses and all medical treatment until you reach Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI), regardless of who caused the accident. If these benefits are wrongfully denied or withheld, additional damages and even attorney fees may be available.

Separate from worker’s comp, a seaman can recover from his employer for full damages when negligence played a part in the injury. We have decades of experience proving negligent conduct was the cause of injury for Louisiana’s offshore workers. We know unsafe working conditions, inadequate training, undermanned crews, and rushed operations can lead to severe injury.

Distinct from negligence, vessel owners and operators owe you a duty to provide a seaworthy vessel. Defective equipment, inadequate or missing safety gear, and untrained crews may render certain rigs and vessels unseaworthy. Our Louisiana maritime attorneys know how to investigate unseaworthiness claims and hold all parties accountable for your injuries.

Maritime laws do not treat everyone on the water the same after an injury. The classification you may fall into decides which remedies you can pursue, who you may have a claim against, and how long you have to do it. Sorting out this complicated framework is the first thing we help you do after a serious injury.

We know what steps to take for non-seaman injured offshore:

A worker stationed on an offshore platform, no matter how far offshore, is generally not a seaman and cannot recover under the Jones Act. Even some workers on jack-up rigs, while technically vessels, have been found not to qualify as seamen when their connection to the rig was too limited. Common examples include welders and other repairers. However, this does not mean you must settle for partial comp payments for your severe injury. We have decades of experience helping injured rig and platform workers seek full compensation from negligent third-parties and defective equipment manufacturers. See our Oil Rig Accident Page for helpful information.

If you load or unload vessels, work in a shipyard, repair or break vessels, or work on a dock or terminal adjoining the water, you are likely covered by the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act rather than the Jones Act. The Longshore Act is a federal compensation system: it pays medical care and a portion of lost wages without regard to fault, and in exchange it generally bars a negligence suit against your employer.

What it does not bar is a suit against the vessel. The Act allows a longshore worker injured by a vessel’s negligence to sue the vessel owner directly, and the specific duties of an owner to workers coming aboard have been directly defined — to turn over a reasonably safe vessel, to warn of hidden hazards, to intervene when the owner knows of a dangerous condition in the cargo operation. These claims are where full recovery in a longshore case can be pursued, and they are routinely missed when the investigation ends at only the compensation claim. Workers at Louisiana’s ports — Baton Rouge, South Louisiana, New Orleans, Lake Charles, Morgan City, and the smaller river and coastal terminals — may have avenues of recovery outside comp. We can help you navigate these complicated areas.

Offshore accidents aren’t just work incidents; they are complex legal situations where federal law largely dictates a seaman’s recovery and the potential fault of other parties for those injuries. Louisiana’s maritime workers are protected by laws like the Jones Act, which allow you to bring personal injury lawsuits against your employer — unlike standard workers’ comp. We fight to get you everything the law allows, including:

Coverage for surgeries, hospital visits, physical therapy, and future care.

Damages for physical pain, emotional trauma, and the life impact of your injuries.

Compensation for wages lost due to your injury or recovery time.

Daily living expenses and medical coverage required under maritime law.

Compensation if you cannot return to your previous employment or suffer long-term loss of earning ability.

Whether it just happened or it was weeks ago, these four steps protect you and your case:

See a doctor immediately. Documentation is critical for your claim and medical records document exactly what the crash or accident did to you.

Ensure your employer and relevant authorities are aware of the accident.

Take photos and videos of the scene, equipment, and injuries. Record witness information and get contact details.

Maritime laws have strict deadlines and insurance companies often make quick lowball offers. It is important the investigation into the incident and your injuries get underway quickly as demands for preservation of evidence, scene inspections, and expert testing of equipment may be necessary to protect your claim. We get involved immediately to protect your rights.

Our Attorneys have spent decades holding maritime employers and insurers accountable across Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi for injured Louisiana offshore workers in Gulf waters. See the entire team.

Richard J. Arsenault

Michael S. Koch

Wesley J. Gralapp

We are veteran admiralty trial attorneys who know vessel operations and the Gulf South offshore industry inside and out.

We don’t take minimal settlements for severe injuries. We fight for maximum compensation for our offshore clients and their families to hold all negligent parties accountable.

We understand the devastating impact of catastrophic injuries like pipeline explosions and platform accidents, and we stand by your side.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can My Employer Fire Me for Filing a Jones Act Claim?
Not lawfully. The Fifth Circuit, the federal appeals court whose decisions govern Louisiana, held decades ago that a seaman fired in retaliation for filing a personal injury claim against his employer has a cause of action in admiralty for that discharge. Separate federal protections also apply to seamen who report safety violations. If something changes at work after you report an injury or obtain counsel (hours cut, sudden performance issue, a rotation that disappears), write down what happened and when, and inform your counsel.

What is My Offshore Injury Case Worth?
No attorney can honestly tell you on the day you call, and you should be careful with anyone who tries. Quickly assigning a value to your case before the extent and severity of your injuries is known, before investigation into the details of the incident and your classification as a seaman, and before full knowledge of what your future medical needs may be is not a true evaluation of your case. What we can tell you is there are a number of different factors that tend to affect the value of your offshore injury (e.g., past and future medical care needs; lost wages and earning capacity; your own pain and suffering; maintenance and cure; and whether you can physically go back to offshore work) and every case is unique. Further, it is highly recommended to seek out an experienced offshore injury attorney’s guidance before accepting any settlement, much less a quick offer prior to maximum medical improvement.

Do I Need to See a Company Doctor After My Injury?
Generally, no. Under general maritime laws, an injured seaman ordinarily has the right to choose his own treatment providers. You are not required to leave your medical care solely in the hands of a treatment provider the company selected. This is important to your medical recovery and your claim. We have seen this frequent issue play out in a predictable way over the last four decades: You are still in pain, you are still limited, and can’t return to work, but the company doctor says you have reached maximum medical improvement and the maintenance checks stop. If possible, see your own doctor, follow the treatment plans, and keep your records. Maximum medical improvement is a question of your own health decided on the medical evidence, it should not be a business decision the employer has any involvement with.

What If Multiple Parties Are At Fault for My Injuries?
Maritime law uses comparative fault. Most offshore and rig accidents involve multiple operators and contractors due to the nature of multi-party Gulf operations. We pursue maximum recovery from all parties responsible for your severe injuries or the loss of a loved one.

Do I have to pay you upfront?
No. We work on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing unless we win your case, and fees come out of the settlement amount.