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Maritime Injury
by Keith Adkins | May 1st, 2013
May 1, 2013
A new study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has shown a significantly higher risk of fatal Maritime Accidents compared to other types of fatal work-related incidents.
According to an article released by The Huffington Post, researchers found that employees working on oil and gas drilling platforms were seven times more likely to be killed in on-the-job accidents compared to workers in other industries. This conclusion was drawn from data collected by the CDC.
Numbers showed that from 2003 to 2010, a total of 128 workers were killed while employed by offshore drilling operations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics figured this gives the industry a fatality rate of 27.1 per 100,000 workers. The rate for other industries is 3.8 fatalities per 100,000 workers.
Most of the fatalities were caused by transportation accidents, including helicopter crashes that were caused by weather. A total of 49 lives were lost during the studied time period due to helicopter accidents. In an effort to prevent such incidents, new regulations regarding the flight of such aircraft during inclimate weather were adopted.
The Louisiana Personal Injury Attorneys with Dudley DeBosier Injury Lawyers acknowledge the dangers workers on drilling platforms face on a daily basis. The firm may be able to help a person who has been hurt in an on-the-job accident that was no fault of their own.
by Keith Adkins | March 20th, 2013
March 20, 2013
A Louisiana Maritime Accident that occurred last week resulted in four workers being seriously injured. Newsday explained the incident happened last Tuesday at around 6:00 p.m. in Bayou Perot, just 30-miles south of New Orleans.
Reports indicate that a tugboat was pushing an oil barge through shallow water when the pair of vessels collided with an underwater natural gas line. The impact caused an explosion and subsequent fire that burned for several days.
Injured during the incident were four crewmembers of the ships. They were each transported to a local hospital for further examinations. Three of the men were treated and released from the facility; however, the captain of the oil barge, the Shannon E. Settoon, sustained second and third degree burns to his body and was taken to a burn unit in serious condition.
The accident has left many who work on the water wondering how they should handle such a situation in the event they are injured on the job. The Louisiana Personal Injury Attorneys with Dudley DeBosier Injury Lawyers explain the laws regarding an accident on the water are completely different than those for an on-land incident.
That is why the firm encourages anyone who has been hurt in an accident on the water to contact a qualified attorney as soon as possible to discuss your legal options.
by Keith Adkins | February 27th, 2013
February 27, 2013
The trial against oil giants British Petroleum (BP), Transocean Ltd., and Halliburton Co. stemming from the 2010 Gulf Oil Spill began yesterday in federal court. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the aim of the court proceedings is to determine if the companies’ gross negligence was responsible for causing the accident.
Court documents show the explosion that occurred aboard the Deep Water Horizon Oil Platform was responsible for killing 11 workers, injuring dozens of others, and spilling an estimated 4 million barrels of crude oil into the ocean.
If gross negligence is found to be the cause of the Louisiana Maritime Accident, BP could be held responsible for as much as $17.6 billion in fines stemming from the Clean Water Act, as well as an undetermined amount in punitive damages to those who were injured who have not accepted settlement deals. A decision of gross negligence by the judge hearing the case could also mean Transocean and Halliburton could be held liable for paying restitution to all parties who were harmed by the spill.
The judge will examine the case based on maritime law, including the Jones Act, to determine if the companies were at fault for the spill.
The Louisiana Personal Injury Lawyers with Dudley DeBosier are hopeful a decision in the case will help bring those who were harmed by the spill one step closer to gaining closure to the tragedy.
by Keith Adkins | January 9th, 2013
January 9, 2013
It was announced earlier this week by officials with the Gulf Coast Claims facility, the organization overseeing payouts from settlements connected to the BP oil spill that occurred several years ago, that the amount of money paid in connection to the spill has reached more than $1 billion. The Times-Picayune explained where the money is going and what the future of claims connected to the matter may hold.
The claims stem from the April 2010 blast aboard the Deep Horizon Drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico that was owned by British Petroleum (BP). The explosion resulted in the deaths of 11 rig workers and numerous others suffering a Louisiana Maritime Injury.
Since the blast occurred, more than 100,000 damage claims have been filed in connection to the incident and BP estimates it will cost roughly $7.8 billion to bring all the claims to rest. Experts say that while only $1 billion has been paid to those accepting settlements, there is already more than another half a billion in settlements that are awaiting payment. Officials say 95 percent of those who filed claims have accepted settlement deals.
Officials added those wishing to be part of a $2.3 billion seafood compensation program have until January 22 to file a claim, while all others have until April 22, 2014 to file a claim.
The Baton Rouge Personal Injury Lawyers with Dudley DeBosier Injury Lawyers may be able to help if you were significantly harmed by the BP oil spill.
by Keith Adkins | August 1st, 2012
August 1, 2012
A Louisiana maritime injury that occurred on the waters of Lake Fordoche in St. Landry Parish Wednesday was responsible for killing one man and injuring another. According to KATC 3 News, the victim’s life may have been saved with the proper use of a life jacket.
The men hit the water for a day of fishing around 10:00 a.m., but were unaware of a log sitting just beneath the surface of the water directly in their path. The boat struck the log and capsized, sending both the 47-year-old driver of the boat and his 66-year-old passenger flying through the air and into the water. Neither was wearing a life preserver at the time of the accident.
Investigator Travis Huval, with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, says that while the driver of the boat was injured, he was able to reach the shore. His passenger’s body was found in the water two hours later.
Huval added, “Wearing a life vest is important out here. If you get ejected, you’ll float and can recover and swim to land or just stay afloat and wait for help.”
The Baton Rouge personal injury lawyers with Dudley DeBosier injury Lawyers would like to remind boaters of not only ensuring there are enough floatation devices on board your vessel for each person, but to also make sure they are each age and weight appropriate for your boat’s passengers as well.
by Keith Adkins | July 18th, 2012
July 18, 2012
In the wake of one of the worst ocean disasters in history, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, many women were willing to help in the cleanup process, but said they were discriminated against in the hiring process for those jobs. According to The New York Times, the group of women who filed the class-action lawsuit alleges that spill clean-up contractors who were working for British Petroleum (BP) would not consider their applications to work as part of the cleanup effort.
Both BP and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) have adamantly denied the allegations and have argued that neither organization would tolerate behavior of that nature.
The groups did decide that rather than face the costly and time-consuming trial that would surround the case, a $5.4 million settlement was given to a “yet-to-be determined class of women in the gulf region who applied for jobs.” Any woman from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida who is able to prove their claims of discrimination is entitled to a part of the settlement.
Any leftover money that remains after payouts from the settlement will be given to a charity in the Gulf-area that benefits women in the workplace.
The Baton Rouge Personal Injury Lawyers with Dudley DeBosier Injury Lawyers would encourage anyone who suffered a Louisiana Maritime Injury as a result of the Gulf Oil Spill to discuss your case with a knowledgeable attorney.
by ddb | March 14th, 2012
March 14, 2012
A survivor of the Transocean oil rig explosion formally asked a U.S. District Court judge to free his case from tied up litigation by allowing him a separate trial in a Texas courtroom. Reports from the Bloomberg News say that the man is one of about a dozen cases that have not been settled in connection to the explosion.
The man’s case has been delayed by ongoing litigation aiming to establish fault on the companies that invested in the Deepwater Horizon rig, a case that the judge says takes precedence over injury claims. The judge stated he would examine those claims at some point after fault has been established.
The man, a rig supervisor and one of the last to settle in the case, was infuriated by this decision. The oil rig explosion blew him through a wall and burned the clothes off his body. He broke both his legs, shattered a knee, and his neck was lacerated by flying metal shrapnel.
He has since undergone nine operations, has had to relearn how to walk multiple times, and suffered permanent hearing loss as a result of the explosion.
The Louisiana Maritime Injury Lawyers with Dudley DeBosier Injury Lawyers would like to wish the injured worker the best of luck in his recovery from the injuries he sustained in the explosion. His dedication to holding those whose negligence caused the accident responsible for their actions is an inspiration to us all.
by ddb | February 22nd, 2012
February 22, 2012
It was announced in New Orleans, Louisiana, Monday that a settlement has been reached between a worker who was injured in the Gulf of Mexico oil rig explosion that occurred in 2010 and the companies that operated the rig. According to reports from Business Week, the worker reached an amicable settlement for an undisclosed amount with BP Plc., Transocean Ltd., and other companies that were involved in the operation of the Deepwater Horizon rig.
After two previous settlements with other companies involved in the spill, the worker was originally seeking $5.5 million in damages for negligence and the rig being unseaworthy.
The companies have come under heavy judicial fire since the explosion killed 11 men, injured numerous others, and ruined the livelihoods of thousands of coastal residents. The immense pressure has forced the companies to settle many of the claims.
Injured workers and the families of the deceased have filed roughly 40 personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits. Residents who claim their property, businesses, and lives were destroyed by the spill have filed hundreds of other lawsuits against BP.
Possible criminal violations by the companies continue to be examined by the courts and the Justice Department.
The Louisiana Maritime Accident Attorneys with Dudley DeBosier Injury Lawyers specialize in the laws that govern the aspects of business and safety on the water. They may be able to help you if you’ve suffered an injury on the ocean.
by ddb | November 9th, 2011
November 9, 2011
A group of researchers from the National Institute of Environment Health Sciences are looking for cleanup workers from last year’s Gulf oil spill willing to participate in a study of the long-term health effects of exposure to the oil and it’s dispersants. The News Star reported yesterday, 5,000 workers form across Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi have been signed up to take part, but tracking down many of the workers as proven difficult.
The organization will be in Terrebonne Parish today in an effort to recruit the additional 45,000 participants needed to begin the study. From that group, researchers say they will select 20,000 individual cases to follow over the next five years.
The study hopes to track illnesses, lifestyles, and seafood consumption throughout that time period to see if the conditions they find are linked to exposure to toxic chemicals from the cleanup.
Many of the workers and community members who were affected by the spill have had concerns over the ramifications of exposure to the oil. Many say they have suffered from respiratory issues such as infections and trouble breathing to chronic asthma.
Those interested in participating can go to a public forum meeting being held at:
Ward 7 Citizens Club
5006 LA 56
Chauvin, Louisiana 70344
Phone: 1-855-NIH-GULF
Study Website
The Louisiana Maritime Accident Lawyers with Dudley Debosier want the people of the Louisiana coast to know and find out more about the health risks they were exposed to and urge you to contact the group if you participated in any sort of oil cleanup
by ddb | September 21st, 2011
September 21, 2011
Working on an oil rig is dangerous enough work, but when mother nature gets thrown into the mix, things can quickly get out of hand; a lesson learned by workers and their families after ten oil rig workers went missing in the Gulf of Mexico after their rig was disabled by Tropical Storm Nate.
The Canadian Press reported that the workers called for help on Thursday in the midst of the pounding storm, saying they had abandoned their 94-foot lift boat. The Mexican Navy worked for days in conjunction with the oil company, Pemex, in a search effort that recovered nine of the men three days later; seven alive, two dead and one still missing. They were found 51 miles off the coast of Campeche. The survivors were immediately taken by helicopter to Pemex Regional Hospital in Ciudad Del Carmen.
Of the survivors, two were men from the New Iberia, Louisiana area. The two casualties were also from that area.
The Louisiana Maritime Accident Attorneys with Dudley Debosier understand the dangers these workers face everyday. If you have been injured, or have a family member who perished while working on an oil rig, an experienced team is available anytime to answer questions you may have regarding your case.
