Tomblin Carnes McCormack, LLP
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Maritime Law and Seaman's Injuries
On-the-job injuries and deaths occur all too often on our nation's inland waterways, in the Gulf of Mexico, and at sea.
At Tomblin Carnes McCormack, LLP, our attorneys are committed to helping maritime workers and their families attempt to recover full compensation for serious injuries and fatal accidents. But our work is about more than just money. In some cases, we may be able to help injured maritime workers and their families obtain other resources they need recover — physically, financially, and emotionally.
Maritime law provides workers the opportunity to obtain compensation for injuries suffered offshore or in the maritime industry. But it is a complex area of the law, and employers and their insurance companies often resist paying fair compensation.
You need an attorney with the knowledge, skill, and experience to successfully pursue claims covered by the Jones Act, the Death on the High Seas Act, the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act, and other statutes.
Attorneys at Tomblin Carnes McCormack, LLP have experience helping seamen, longshoremen, workers on oil rigs, and other maritime workers recover large settlements and verdicts. In every case, our goal is to obtain maximum compensation for our client. We work together with other well-known and successful maritime attorneys to ensure that you will receive the most up-to-date and comprehensive representation available.
If you or a family member have been involved in a serious maritime or offshore accident, you need to take action as soon as possible to protect your right to claim compensation. In a free consultation, an attorney at Tomblin Carnes McCormack, LLP can evaluate your situation, explain the legal process, and how we may be able to help you obtain the compensation you need and deserve.
Jones Act
The Jones Act, 46 U.S.C. 688 (1970), is a Federal law that enables an injured seaman or maritime worker to collect damages for losses caused by a negligent owner, operator, officer, or co-worker or because the vessel was unseaworthy.Identifying and pursuing a claim under the Jones Act can be difficult. The law is complex, and the insurance companies for the negligent parties will resist providing fair compensation.
Tomblin Carnes McCormack, LLP helps victims of negligent accidents obtain compensation for their losses and suffering under the Jones Act, the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act(LHWCA), the Death on the High Seas Act, and other laws.
Our goal is to help our clients obtain all of the compensation they deserve, and get the care they need to make as complete a recovery as possible.
Protect Your Right to Recover Under the Jones Act
It is important that a Jones Act claim be handled properly to protect the seaman's right to recover damages:
- Make a complete accident report to the proper person as soon as possible.
- Do not give a recorded, written, or sworn statement before you have spoken with an experienced Jones Act lawyer.
- Get medical attention as soon as possible from the doctor of your choice.
- Get statements and contact information from co-workers and other witnesses.
- Avoid discussing your injury or recovery with a company doctor or rehab nurse.
- Our attorneys can help you protect your rights to recover compensation under the Jones Act.
Are You a Seaman as Defined by the Jones Act?
Officers and crew members on tankers, freighters, jack-up or movable oil rigs, semi-submersible rigs, dredges, barges, tugs, supply boats, crew boats, fishing vessels, and other types of boats are covered by the Jones Act. It also applies to crew members on inland waterways.
A lawyer at Tomblin Carnes McCormack, LLP can evaluate your duties and position to determine whether your injury is covered by the Act.
Longshoremen, pilots, and fixed platform workers are not covered by the Jones Act, but there are other maritime laws that provide these workers with claims.
Platform/Oil Rig Injuries
A job on an offshore oil platform means hard work and good pay. But the work is dangerous too.When an oil platform worker is injured due to the negligence of the employer or another party, the worker is entitled to compensation for financial losses and suffering. But the insurance companies involved may try to pay the least amount possible for your accident claim.
At Tomblin Carnes McCormack, LLP, we seek to obtain maximum compensation for victims of oil rig injuries and other maritime workers.
Oil Rig Injury Claims
Workers on platforms, spars, jack-up rigs, crew boats, lay barges, and other vessels are covered by admiralty law, including, depending on the circumstances, the Jones Act, the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA), the Death on the High Seas Act, and other statutes.
It is important that your claim be correctly identified and filed before the statute of limitations runs out. In a free case evaluation, an attorney at Tomblin Carnes McCormack, LLP can determine the strength of your claim, explain the legal process, and tell you what it will take to get the compensation you deserve.
Your Medical Care
You have a right to select your own doctor. You do not have to work with — and should not, in most cases, work with — a rehab nurse or other medical professional recommended by your company.
Tomblin Carnes McCormack, LLP can help you find the right doctor and will coordinate your medical care. During this time, we will work to build a strong and persuasive case for compensation. In particular, we will seek to identify all sources of compensation available.
In every case, our goal is to maximize the compensation our clients receive.
Longshoreman Injuries
At Tomblin Carnes McCormack, LLP, our attorneys help injured longshoremen, dockworkers, and their families recover compensation under the Longshore & Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA) and other maritime laws.Such cases are not easy, even when the facts favor the injured worker. The insurance company for the employer or negligent party will try to avoid paying any more than necessary for your losses and suffering. They may offer a quick settlement for far less than your case is worth — hoping you will take it rather than holding out for fair compensation.
Seeking Maximum Compensation
Tomblin Carnes McCormack, LLP and co-counsel will seek to obtain all of the compensation which you deserve. Our attorneys prepare every case thoroughly and let the insurance company know we will not settle for less than a fair outcome. We always seek maximum compensation for our clients.
Protecting Your Rights to Compensation
We encourage you to call us for a free consultation. A lawyer at our firm will provide an honest evaluation of your claim and any settlement offer the insurance company has made. If our firm represents you we will help you find a doctor and determine how to pay your bills while you are waiting for your claim to be resolved.
Other than filing an initial accident report you should not discuss the accident with the insurance company, your employer, or any medical professionals connected to the company before obtaining legal advice.
Harbor workers face the possibility of falls, back injuries, hand injuries, explosions, and burns every day. As experienced maritime lawyers we handle claims under the Longshore & Harbor Workers' Compensation Act, Jones Act, Death on the High Seas Act, and other laws protecting the rights of injured workers on shore and at sea.
Tomblin Carnes McCormack, LLP is dedicated to helping the victims of negligent accidents obtain the compensation they need and deserve.
Oil Platform Transfer Accidents
Offshore oil workers face dangers every day, even when traveling to and from their rigs and platforms. Transfer accidents are a common occurrence in the Gulf of Mexico.At Tomblin Carnes McCormack, LLP, we obtain compensation for the financial losses and suffering that platform workers experience. Our lawyers, together with our co-counsel, have extensive experience in maritime law and a record of success in obtaining compensation for victims of transfer other maritime accidents. Our goal in such cases is to maximize the compensation our clients receive. And by doing so, we obtain the financial resources our clients and their families need to rebuild their lives.
After a transfer accident, it is extremely important that you speak with an experienced maritime attorney about the event before making any statement to your employer's insurance company. In a free consultation, an attorney at Tomblin Carnes McCormack, LLP can evaluate your case and inform you of your prospects for obtaining compensation.
Our attorneys will investigate all possible sources of compensation for your loss.
Helicopter Accidents
Even in ideal conditions a helicopter flight poses risks. Bad weather, night flights, pilot error, tail rotor failure, poor maintenance, or a combination of these can increase the chances of an accident. In cases involving helicopter accidents, our attorneys team with expert pilots, engineers, and aviation consultants to uncover the true cause or causes of the mishap. When we determine that negligence has occurred, we aggressively seek full and complete compensation for our client.
Crane, Swing Rope, and Basket Accidents
Serious accidents often happen when cargo or personnel are being transferred between ocean-going and harbor vessels or between a barge and dock. Oil platform workers are often transferred from a crew boat to a platform or ocean-going vessel by a swing rope and basket. These can be hazardous operations, and one operator mistake or mechanical failure can result in a serious injury or wrongful death.
As experienced maritime and Jones Act attorneys, Tomblin Carnes McCormack, LLP and our co-counsel understand drilling and platform operations as well as the law. We use the law to obtain the compensation our clients need and deserve.
