Like small floating cities, offshore rigs can be seen at times by the faint flickering lights from the deck. On average, an offshore rig has approximately 150 crew members and over 570 offshore drilling rigs. With the rig further out from the coastlines searching for the ample supply to provide for the billion-dollar worldwide demand, the offshore employees spend days, weeks and months out-at-sea. A modern rig today can even provide bowling alleys, movie theaters and other amenities to its crew, but can it provide a satisfactory level of safety? After all, rigs function as small communities and communities need protection.
Ultimately, the crew’s safety is the responsibility of the vessel’s owner. When maintenance issues are not addressed and crew members are not properly trained, accidents are more prone to happen resulting in injuries or even deaths. When employers overlook the upkeep of the vessel, its function is affected. Hundreds of offshore accidents occur as a direct result of negligence due to lack of maintenance. Additionally, the crew is also not properly trained on the use of the lifesaving equipment or emergency evacuation procedures. The improper stowing of equipment and lack of safety equipment knowledge were the two causal factors in the incident’s high fatality rate. A rig is often built to withstand most storms, but was not equipped to withstand human error. If you ever face any type of offshore injury you should contact offshore injury lawyer at Zehl & Associates without wasting a second.
How to find best offshore injury lawyer?
It is possible that some offshore accidents have not been reported due to being minor in nature. Information typically disseminated to the general public are the large explosions, the big catastrophes, but never the dislocation of a crew member’s arm or a deep wound inflicted on their hand. While some seek for their own financial compensation through the legal system, others simply take what compensation the employer offers during their healing period. While the financial compensation period offered by the employer is limited, some injuries can last a lifetime and possibly have an effect on future work performance.
Do your Research
However, you should not hire the first offshore injury lawyer you come across in your search for an attorney. You need to carry out some research in order to find the right lawyer to represent your case. By choosing a lawyer who has the required experience to handle your case, you will have a much better chance of winning. In such cases, naturally, it is the lawyer who has quite a number of cases in his or her hands who proves to be the favorable lawyer for handling your case.
When you begin searching for your offshore lawyer, it is always better to choose a lawyer who has numerous cases in their hand as it signifies the lawyer is competent and experienced enough to handle the case in question.
It is only with a lawyer familiar with federal laws of the sea you will have someone working to give you everything you are legally entitled to. If you get injured while working on a ship. Our expert offshore lawyers are well versed with maritime law, they will be more than ready to provide legal representation for your needs and to help you move forward in life.
