Several federal laws provide maritime workers with a patchwork quilt of coverage, whether they spend the majority of their time at sea (the Jones Act) or on land. Maritime law (or admiralty law) broadly covers actions and accidents that occur on or near waterways used for international and/or interstate commerce.
Offshore injuries, oil platform injuries, cruise ship injuries, and accidents in commercial harbors are examples. Blass Law's offshore accident attorneys have the experience and expertise to navigate the complex framework of maritime law and obtain the maximum compensation for your injuries.
Houston maritime law
Houston is much more than an aerospace and energy hub. Houston, Texas, is the second-most populated city in the country for jobs requiring maritime freight transportation between U.S. ports, according to a recent poll. Only in nearby New Orleans do more people work in the maritime industry.Texas ranks third in the nation for cargo transportation between American ports when the work force from all Texas ports is taken into account. The Port of Houston is made up of over 200 private and public ports, and it handles over 8200 seagoing vessels and 215,000 barges each year. The Houston area is home to thousands of maritime employees.
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| Houston maritime law |
Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that Houston is home to many maritime injury cases. A marine injury lawyer in Houston will frequently be needed to protect the rights of maritime employees who have been hurt at sea because they do not always have the same legal options as land-based employees. This lawyer can also help the employees recover damages as a result of their maritime injury.
Houston maritime attorney
Houston maritime attorneys are numerous and well-knowledgeable in admiralty law (maritime law), but the experience is crucial. Patrick Daniel, the founder, and preeminent naval injury attorney has battled hundreds of marine injury claims and obtained sizable recoveries for his clients.However, this procedure necessitates far more than just an experienced trial lawyer. Any Houston, Texas lawyer who wants to defend marine workers must be familiar with the job's demanding, brutal, and raw nature. That is what distinguishes Patrick Daniel Law from other Houston, Texas, law businesses. He is adept at the task.
He was born and raised in Louisiana, and he has 20 years of expertise in maritime litigation, some of it on the opposing side of the bench.
What Does a Houston Maritime Injury Lawyer Cover?
Maritime work is often dangerous, and the injuries that seamen sustain are not covered by standard state workers' compensation laws. A Houston maritime injury lawyer can represent seamen in a wide range of claims, including barge and cargo ship accidents, commercial fishing accidents, shipyard accidents, drilling rig, and oil platform accidents, wrongful death, and other types of claims.
When searching for a maritime injury lawyer in Houston, residents recognize Cobos Law Firm as an industry leader in assisting seamen in recovering costs for injuries that have impacted their ability to work, medical bills and rehab costs, and pain and suffering.
When you hire a Houston maritime injury lawyer from our firm, our attorney will fight for your rights and hold those responsible for your injuries accountable.
History of Admiralty & Maritime Law
The majority of accidents on navigable seas are governed by maritime law, also known as admiralty law, which is nearly as old as the shipping industry itself. The origins of the law can be found in the unwritten nautical customs of the Egyptians and Greeks. The oldest official codes, however, were developed around 900 BC on the Greek island of Rhodes.Early maritime rules and codes were based on ancient nautical conventions and laws. Early Rhodian shipping customs have their roots in the doctrine of general average, which states that all parties involved in sea cargo, such as the owner and shipper, must equally share any losses or damages that may result from the willing sacrifice of a part of the ship or of the cargo in order to save the whole.
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| Houston maritime law |
Eleanor of Aquitaine, who traveled to the Mediterranean with her first husband King Louis VII of France on the Second Crusade, introduced the idea of a separate legal body governing marine matters to the west. The British admiralty courts, which handled marine disputes separately from England's common law courts, are where the phrase "admiralty law" originated.
The revised admiralty laws were gradually absorbed into our legal system after the constitution was ratified because the American court system is based on the British system.
When Does Maritime Law Apply?
The most obvious application of maritime law is to incidents that occur on the high seas or outside of any nation's territorial waters. Maritime law also applies to the territorial sea or the waters within 12 miles of the shore. However, it is less clear how the law applies further inland.Because the accidents happened outside the "body of the country," the Great Lakes and nontidal interior waterways were initially exempt from the application of maritime law. However, this exclusion started to disappear in the nineteenth century. Currently, "navigable waters" are covered by maritime law.
A waterway is considered navigable if it can function as a "continuous roadway through which commerce is or may be carried on with other States or other countries," either on its own or in conjunction with other bodies of water. As a result, a body of water is not navigable for the purposes of admiralty jurisdiction if it is wholly landlocked inside a single state.
A body of water can be considered navigable even if it does not cross state lines. A body of water may be considered navigable if it is a link in a network of bodies of water that can be used to facilitate interstate trade. The final requirement is that a state's trade be able to travel to another state or country.
Once this requirement is met, maritime law will most likely apply, even if the vessel is used for recreational purposes.
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| Houston maritime law |
When to call a Maritime lawyer
When should I contact a lawyer after a maritime accident? The short answer is "as soon as your ship docks in Houston." Make a call to or get in touch with a lawyer as soon as you can if you have access to Wi-Fi, a cell phone, and the ability to make personal calls while you're traveling.If you utilize that time to phone an attorney, the management cannot discipline you if your ship permits employees to make personal calls!
Making the impression that you're a "team" player who doesn't want to cause a commotion by threatening legal action is a common error made by employees.
Making the impression that you're a "team" player who doesn't want to cause a commotion by threatening legal action is a common error made by employees.
Protecting an image that won't even help you in the long term may come at a significant cost.
Many Houston marine employees or former employees who are no longer able to work wish they had phoned a lawyer as soon as possible following their disaster.
Many Houston marine employees or former employees who are no longer able to work wish they had phoned a lawyer as soon as possible following their disaster.
Despite all the blogs and websites that try to give you advice on a do-it-yourself courtroom strategy, don't attempt to evaluate whether you have a case worth filing on your own. Make a wise choice and contact legal counsel.
With so many victories in admiralty matters, Patrick Daniel is usually able to identify a case that has a chance of success within the first few minutes of a free consultation.
You won't incur any out-of-pocket costs if Patrick Daniel Law takes your case because the attorney's fee will be deducted from the ultimate settlement.