If you are Jones Act seaman and have been injured in a barge accident on the Mississippi River, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, the Gulf of Mexico or an inland waterway of Louisiana, you have important legal rights under federal maritime law. Talk to a Jones Act attorney at Gordon Elias & Seely, L.L.P., who understands maritime law as well as you know the water.
The maritime attorneys at Gordon, Elias & Seely, L.L.P., help maritime workers on the Gulf coast. Whether your injury occurred on a deck barge, a tank barge, a sectional barge, a keyway barge, a spud barge, a liquid mud barge, a shale barge or in a barge fleeting accident, you need to understand your legal rights. You may be out of work for an extended period or be unable to handle to the physical demands of your job. It’s important to receive the full benefits to which you’re entitled.
If you have been injured in a barge accident, a tugboat accident or an offshore accident, it’s important to make the right call when choosing a Jones Act attorney. You need a barge accident attorney with a track record of success helping maritime workers.
Call 800-773-6770 or fill out the online contact form to receive a free initial consultation. Mr. Gordon, Mr. Elias or Mr. Seely will discuss your legal options with you if you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury in a barge accident. We answer phone calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We are licensed to practice in Louisiana and Texas.
Barge Accident Lawyer in Louisiana
Barges are flat-bottomed marine vessels used to transport bulk goods and to serve as stable floating work platforms. Some barges are self-propelled. Others are pushed or towed by a towboat. States along the Gulf Coast, including Texas and Louisiana, have many maritime workers including deckhands, engineers, able-bodied seamen, cooks, tankermen and captains employed in the marine towing industry. Tows of cargo barges on the Mississippi River system transport coal, iron oar, timber, grain, and heavy equipment. But work on barges and towboats remains dangerous. Every year, approximately, 11 deckhands and other crew die and hundreds suffer serious head injuries, brain injuries, back injuries, and traumatic injuries in marine vessel accidents involving barges and tugboats, according to the American Waterway Operators.
If you are a Jones Act seaman and have been injured on a barge, you may have legal rights to compensation under federal maritime law. After a marine vessel injury, you may be facing substantial medical bills and time off work, so it’s important to understand your rights to maintenance and cure and other benefits. Families of maritime workers who die in barge accidents may be entitled to compensation if the vessel owner or operator was negligent. A Jones Act lawyer at Gordon, Elias and Seely, L.L.P., will review your marine vessel accident at no charge and provide legal advice about your right to compensation.
Louisiana Barge Accident Lawyers
Louisiana is home to three of the nation’s 10 largest ports, at South Louisiana, New Orleans and Baton Rouge. More than 100 marine towing companies based in Louisiana operate 700 towboats and more than 4,400 barges. In excess of 4,600 people are employed as crew on the barges and towboats.
Among the companies involved in barge transport and barge fleeting on the waterways of Louisiana are Canal Barge Co., Ingram Barge Co., Broussard Brothers Inc., Superior Energy Services Co., Kirby Corporation, American Commercial Lines, and Enterprise Marine Services.
There are numerous types of barges with different functions. They include:
- Deck Barge—Deck barges come in many sizes and carry a variety of dry, bulk cargo. Deck barges may be used as floating platforms for a dredge or as a work barge for other types of work.
- Tank Barge—Tank barges carry oil and petroleum products. Today, double-hulled vessels account for more than 80 percent of the tank barges used to transport oil and other hazardous products.
- Sectional Barge—Sectional barges are smaller, more easily transportable and can be mobilized quickly to create work platforms of varying sizes and configurations.
- Keyway Barge —A deck barge has a “key” slot at the edge of the barge hull over which the drilling rig is positioned. Drilling tools are lowered and removed through the keyway.
- Liquid Mud Barges—These barges have a series of sealed tanks and transport pre-mixed drilling muds to be used in oil well drilling operations.
- Spud Barges— Spud barges have mechanical and hydraulic winches to raise and lower spuds to hold the barge in place while working. Spud barges often have a mobile crane aboard.
- Shale Barges—These barges have open top bins in the deck of the barge to carry marine shale and other non-hazardous oilfield waste byproducts.
Unfortunately, accidents can occur on any type of barge. When they do, it’s important to consult a barge injury lawyer who understands injured workers’ rights to compensation and benefits under maritime law.
Louisiana Barge Accident Attorneys
Serious barge accidents and injuries are typically caused by collisions with bridges, locks and docks; barge breakaways; equipment failures; fires; explosions; groundings; and miscommunication. Barge deckhands and crew may suffer a head injury, back injury or spinal injury in a fall onto a lower deck or fall through a hatch. Able-bodied seamen and deckhands may be struck by a moving object or heavy equipment while working aboard a barge if there is a miscommunication. Crew may get pinned or crushed between objects.
Many accidents, particularly on older vessels, are caused by a lack of proper maintenance and failure to provide a properly trained crew. The owner of a barge has a legal duty to provide a seaworthy vessel and to provide a safe workplace free of known hazards. If you or a loved one has been injured in a barge accident, you may have legal rights to compensation.
Any mariner seriously injured in a barge accident should talk to a qualified maritime lawyer to understand his legal options under the Jones Act and general maritime law. The skilled maritime lawyers at Gordon, Elias & Seely, L.L.P., are licensed to practice in Louisiana and Texas and have helped many Gulf families overcome a serious injury or loss.
Call Louisiana Marine Vessel Accident Lawyer
If you are a barge deckhand, a barge mate or a dock hand and you have been injured in a marine-related job, you may have legal rights to compensation under federal law. It’s important to talk to a maritime injury attorney, not just a personal injury attorney, who understands maritime workers’ rights under the Jones Act and the Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act. A Louisiana maritime lawyer at Gordon, Elias and Seely, L.L.P., can make sure you receive full compensation after a serious injury.
Call 800-773-6770 or fill out the online contact form to receive a free initial consultation. Mr. Gordon and Mr. Elias will be glad to answer your questions.
