Our results
Results that move lives forward
Every result starts with a person whose work, health, and future were disrupted. Client names are omitted; each result is described by the worker’s job on the water.
1,000+
Individual maritime workers helped
Over 30 years we have focused our practice on helping maritime workers and their families.
Hundreds of Millions
In recovery collected
Verdicts and settlements obtained for seamen, rig workers, towboat crews, and longshoremen.
Maritime Focus
Our Driving Focus
Maritime law is at the center of our practice. We know the laws that help you, and we know how to use them for you and your family.
Jones Act
$9,450,949.00
Deckhand
Unconscious in a Lower Mississippi River Barge Coupling
A river deckhand was found unconscious after being sent alone into a barge coupling to break tow wires. The incident left him with injuries to his head, nose, and ribs and required an emergency airlift.
Jones Act
$5,000,000.00
Offshore Deckhand
Pinned by a Rotating Crane for 40 Seconds
An offshore deckhand was trapped against a fixed structure by a rotating crane aboard a derrick barge. The crushing incident caused catastrophic leg injuries and raised serious questions about crane operations and crew safety.
Oil Rig
$1,200,000.00
Offshore Floorhand
Dropped Pipe Strikes Floorhand on Offshore Rig
A failed shackle released steel pipe onto the floor of a mobile offshore drilling unit near Cameron, Louisiana. The pipe struck a floorhand’s shoulder, causing fractures and permanent nerve damage.
Jones Act
$4,800,000.00
Contract Deckhand
Deckhand Crushed Between Vessel and Dredge Cutterhead
While clearing debris on a Sabine Pass dredging project, a contract deckhand’s foot was caught between a moving support vessel and the dredge cutterhead. The crush injury led to chronic pain and lasting mobility problems.
Oil Rig
$4,500,000.00
Offshore Roughneck
Tensioned Cable Strikes Roughneck on Drillship
A tensioned cable struck an offshore roughneck in the forehead during rig-floor operations aboard the Deepwater Thalassa. He lost consciousness and later faced persistent cognitive, neck, and headache symptoms.
Oil Rig
$3,380,000.00
Offshore Floorhand
Falling Counterweight Strikes Offshore Floorhand
An unsecured counterweight assembly fell overhead during a routine drilling connection and struck a floorhand’s hard hat. The offshore veteran suffered head, shoulder, neck, and back injuries.
Oil Rig
$1,150,000.00
Offshore Area Inspector
Inspector Falls During Offshore Swing-Rope Transfer
An offshore inspector was left alone on an unmanned Bay Marchand platform. When the pickup vessel moved during his swing-rope transfer, he fell into the Gulf and suffered shoulder, neck, and back injuries.
Oil Rig
$3,299,128.00
Offshore Maintenance Operator
High-Pressure Steam Release During Boiler Repair
A maintenance operator suffered severe burns when high-pressure steam escaped during a boiler valve repair aboard a Gulf of Mexico production vessel. The injuries required multiple surgeries, skin grafts, and long-term care.
Jones Act
$2,350,000.00
Deckhand
Deckhand Falls on Dark, Muddy Barge Deck
A deckhand slipped while accessing a spud winch aboard a derrick barge in San Francisco Bay. He suffered an open knee fracture, a head wound, and ongoing cognitive and balance problems.
Barge & Towing
$1,100,000.00
Dredge Engineer
Engineer Injured Moving Oil Drums Below Deck
A longtime dredge engineer injured his lower back while manually repositioning heavy oil drums in a confined engine room. A misaligned overhead hatch made an already difficult job more dangerous.
Jones Act
$1,875,000.00
Maritime Industrial Worker
Unsafe Conditions Across a Marine Worksite
Deteriorated steel, standing moisture, loose tools, and blocked access routes created dangerous conditions around a marine industrial worksite. The case examined whether those hazards had been properly inspected and corrected.
Jones Act
$1,600,000.00
Maritime Crewmember
Crewmember Crushed While Handling a Tug Line
A maritime crewmember suffered a life-changing crush injury while handling a line aboard a harbor tug near New Orleans on the Mississippi River.
Oil Rig
$1,400,000.00
Assistant Driller
Failed Hydraulic Equipment Injures Assistant Driller
An assistant driller aboard the M/V WEST VELA injured his back while trying to remove a stuck valve seat after hydraulic equipment repeatedly failed. The incident ended far differently than the simple lifting accident the company described.
Jones Act
$1,100,000.00
Vessel Cook
Galley Mat Slides Beneath Liftboat Cook
Water trapped beneath an unsecured galley mat caused it to slide while a liftboat cook performed routine duties. What first appeared to be an ankle sprain progressed into major surgery, chronic pain, and lasting limitations.
Jones Act
$1,300,000.00
Maritime Welder
Work Boat Strikes an Untied Pipeline Pontoon
A waterborne pipeline welder suffered a career-ending shoulder and nerve injury when a jon boat struck the untied pontoon where he was working in southeast Louisiana.
Barge & Towing
$1,050,000.00
River Deckhand
Towboat Collision at Krotz Springs Bridge
A river deckhand suffered a severe lower-back injury when his towboat’s six-barge tow struck the Krotz Springs Railroad Bridge during a nighttime transit on the Atchafalaya River.
Barge & Towing
$1,300,000.00
Tankerman
Hard Hat Strikes Tankerman During Bunkering
A tankerman monitoring gauges during a precision bunkering operation at Ama Anchorage was struck in the head by a hard hat thrown from the cargo vessel above.
Barge & Towing
$1,250,000.00
Towing Vessel Mate
Tugboat Mate Trapped Against a Surge Tank
A licensed mate suffered a devastating leg injury when he became trapped between the stern of his towing vessel and a floating surge tank during an offshore operation near Jacksonville.
Jones Act
$1,050,000.00
Able-Bodied Seaman
Pilothouse Window Blown In During Hurricane Ida
A seaman aboard a jacked-up liftboat near Leeville was struck in the head when Hurricane Ida drove a pilothouse window inward.
Oil Rig
$1,250,000.00
Offshore Roustabout
Weighted Tool Shoots Through Drill Pipe
An offshore roustabout was performing pipe-drifting work when a weighted metal tool shot through the bottom of a standing drill pipe and struck him directly in the face.
Barge & Towing
$915,000.00
Maritime Contractor and BIS Laborer
Loaded Barge Tow Strikes Anchored Ship
A maritime contractor was thrown to the floor of a cargo hold when a loaded barge tow struck an anchored vessel near Belle Chasse. He suffered injuries to his wrist, back, neck, and hip.
Oil Rig
$895,000.00
Assistant Driller
Loaded Pallet Jack Slips on Drillship Floor
An assistant driller suffered a disabling lower-back injury when both feet slipped as he pulled a pallet jack carrying a heavy drilling elevator during active rig-floor operations.
Barge & Towing
$857,000.00
Tankerman
Pre-Dawn Crew Transfer Ends in Serious Injury
A tankerman was injured while stepping from a towing vessel during a pre-dawn crew transfer near Mobile. The forward-bulwark transfer point lacked non-skid material.
Barge & Towing
$850,000.00
Crane Barge Crew Member
Crane Mast Collapses on the Industrial Canal
A crane barge crew member suffered life-changing injuries when a modified crane’s mast and gantry collapsed on New Orleans’ Industrial Canal. A crane component struck him directly in the face.
Jones Act
$850,000.00
Chief Engineer
Chief Engineer Thrown from Bunk in Heavy Seas
A chief engineer was asleep and off watch when severe rolling threw him from an upper bunk during an interisland tug crossing in Hawaii. He suffered serious neck and shoulder injuries.
Barge & Towing
$800,000.00
Tugboat Crew Member
Towboat Drops During Drydock Lift
A tugboat crew member was thrown onto a steel deck when an inland towboat shifted and dropped to port during a drydock lift near Vicksburg. The fall caused serious shoulder damage and instability.
Barge & Towing
$800,000.00
Chief Engineer
Chief Engineer Falls on Steep Pushboat Stairs
A chief engineer with 15 years of inland towing experience suffered career-ending injuries after slipping on a steep stairway with only one handrail aboard a pushboat at a Houma shipyard.
Jones Act
$750,000.00
Lift Boat Captain
Captain Slips on Algae-Covered Offshore Deck
A lift boat captain stepped from a stairway onto a wet lower deck covered with algae and slime. He fell backward into the stairs and suffered injuries that ended his maritime career.
Oil Rig
$725,000.00
Offshore Mechanic
1,330-Pound Steel Cap Crushes Mechanic’s Foot
A steel bonnet cap became unstable and fell during a service-elevator load test on a Gulf drilling rig. The 1,330-pound component crushed an offshore mechanic’s foot, requiring two surgeries.
Barge & Towing
$675,000.00
Tugboat Captain
Both Heels Fractured During Nighttime Transfer
An inland towing captain fractured both heels during a rushed nighttime crew transfer on the Intracoastal Waterway near Houma.
Barge & Towing
$635,000.00
Mechanic-Welder
Mechanic-Welder Falls Through Open Barge Manhole
A mechanic-welder stepped backward into an open, unguarded manhole while working on a chemical barge at a St. James Parish fleet facility. The fall caused serious shoulder and nerve injuries.
Jones Act
$617,000.00
Maintenance Mechanic
Mechanic’s Hand Crushed on Floating Grain Elevator
A maintenance mechanic suffered a severe hand injury while reattaching a clamshell bucket aboard a floating grain elevator on the Mississippi River near Destrehan.
Oil Rig
$615,000.00
Offshore Platform Worker
Hidden Corrosion Gives Way Beneath Offshore Rigger
An offshore rigger fell through concealed, corroded deck plating inside the engine room of a Gulf production platform during decommissioning work.
Barge & Towing
$600,000.00
Tankerman
Waterlogged Line Injures River Tankerman
A river tankerman suffered a serious lower-back injury while pulling a heavy, waterlogged bank line aboard a vessel waiting to enter a lock.
Jones Act
$550,000.00
Vessel Captain
Captain Falls While Investigating a Vessel Leak
A vessel captain was injured while investigating a known leak aboard an aging offshore supply vessel docked near Venice, Louisiana. The assignment required him to enter the forepeak tank area.
Jones Act
$542,500.00
Vessel Captain
Jammed Deck Hatch Injures Vessel Captain
During a routine pre-departure inspection, a vessel captain tried to open a deck storage hatch that resisted and jammed. The effort caused a serious back injury.
Barge & Towing
$445,000.00
Deckhand
Deckhand Pinned as Barges Separate Near Grand Isle
A deckhand on a coastal breakwater project suffered serious head and neck injuries when two barges separated beneath him during a routine transfer.
Barge & Towing
$395,000.00
Tankerman
Defective Barge Stairs End Tankerman’s Career
A tankerman suffered a serious knee injury while using defective stairs during work on Louisiana’s inland waterways. The resulting limitations prevented him from returning to his former career.
Barge & Towing
$350,000.00
Tankerman
Heavy Lock Line Injures Petroleum Tankerman
A tankerman injured his back and neck while lifting and carrying a lock line during a two-barge petroleum tow-building operation on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.
Jones Act
$300,000.00
Deckhand
Mooring Line Pulls Deckhand into Machinery
A deckhand suffered a severe ankle fracture when a nylon bowline fell short of the dock and entered the vessel’s machinery during a mooring operation near Port Fourchon.
Oil Rig
$250,000.00
Offshore Production Operator
Unsecured Pipe Injures Offshore Production Operator
During a routine pressure check near a Gulf platform wellhead, a production operator encountered an unsecured pipe that should not have been in his path. The resulting back injury ended his offshore career.
Barge & Towing
$200,000.00
Inland Tankerman
Tankerman Left Alone During Emergency Line Handling
When barges began drifting from a Louisiana refinery dock, a lone tankerman had to throw a heavy, waterlogged line without backup. His back gave out under the load.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is unique and must be evaluated on its own facts.
Talk with a maritime attorney