Category Archives: Maritime & Offshore Injury

Doyle LLP has filed a Jones Act and general maritime lawsuit against CGG Land on behalf of an injured seaman. The seaman was injured while in the scope of his employment in the Gulf of Mexico offshore Galveston. He was employed by CGG.

On the date of the incident in question, the plaintiff was required to carry on his assigned duties with insufficient assistance and equipment, and as a result sustained serious injuries to his knee that eventually required surgical intervention.

CGG was the chartered operator of M/V SUPER T and was responsible for its dangerous and unseaworthy conditions (and of its fittings), which was a legal cause of the plaintiff’s injuries. The dangerous and defective condition of the vessel violated applicable laws and regulations of the United States of America for vessels, and accordingly CGG is liable for negligence, negligence per se, and in strict liability.

This case is also brought under the general maritime law to recover for willful, wanton, wrongful denial of maintenance and cure due and owing the plaintiff for his injury sustained onboard CGG’s vessel. CGG is fully liable for payment of maintenance and cure until the plaintiff reaches maximum medical cure for the injury sustained in the service of the vessel.

CGG Land has an obligation of safety and to the continued health of their employee. By allowing an unseaworthy vessel to be put out to sea, they placed their employees in danger and at risk of injuries.

If you or someone you love has been injured while working offshore, please contact the maritime lawyers at Doyle.

A Coast Guard helicopter rescued a supply ship crewmember whose foot was severed after it was caught in a line. The injured crewman was flown to a Lake Charles hospital.

The accident occurred five miles off the coast of Louisiana. The Coast Guard sent a Houston-based helicopter to medevac the crewmember. At this time, no updates on his condition have been made available.

Maritime and Jones Act laws protect seaman injured in situations like this. The laws guarantee injured offshore workers will be provided medical treatment and lost wages. For maritime law, this is called maintenance and cure.

If you or someone you love has been injured while aboard a rig or vessel and have been denied maintenance and cure, please contact the attorneys at Doyle.

Local 2 (KPRC-TV) interviewed attorney Mike Doyle of Doyle LLP about the oil spill that occurred on Monday, March 24, 2014. in the Port of Houston.

According to the report, the accident happened when the Miss Susan, a tow vessel, collided with a barge that was carrying 924,000 gallons of fuel oil. The Miss Susan was moving from Texas City to the Bolivar peninsula when the collision occurred. The US Coast Guard believes that at least 160,000 gallons of the fuel oil spilled into the Houston Ship Channel. The six crewmembers aboard the Miss Susan have been accounted for, though two were sent to the hospital for hydrogen sulfide exposure.

Both ships were owned by Kirby Inland Marine. Investigators are currently trying to figure out exactly what happened to cause the tow vessel and the barge to collide. Data collection is key, according to Mr. Doyle. “Depending on how they’re equipped… there may be black box information that you could look at. There’s also radar information. The port has its own systems for monitoring vessels in the port, and they’ll try to grab that data, as well as interviewing people involved.”

This is not the first time the Miss Susan has been involved in an incident. She had been involved in two other collisions and 11 incidents in the past. It is unknown whether the same captain in these incidents was piloting the Miss Susan at the time of the wreck. Investigators are also looking into the possibility of weather-related circumstances, as there was fog in the channel at the time of the wreck.

Cleanup crews are already at work to sop up the oil, but it is clear that this is a major spill that will require extensive investigation and a long court battle. Doyle LLP has experience in maritime accident law, and has fought companies like Kirby Inland Marine and others in the past to compensate workers for their injuries. If you have been injured while working on a vessel, give our offices a call for a free consultation.

A federal judge on Friday ordered seizure of the cargo ship that collided with a fuel barge causing the oil spill in Galveston Bay.

On March 22, the Summer Wind was en route to the Port of Houston when it collided with a barge owned by Kirby Inland Marine. The barge was being towed by the tugboat Miss Susan and was headed from the Port of Texas City to the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW).

Spanning 3,000 miles (4,800 km), the ICW provides a preferred shipping route consisting of channels, lagoons, rivers and man-made canals along the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Navigating heavy commercial traffic amidst narrow pathways forces vessels to often maneuver in close proximity with obstructed vision. Any form of negligence can easily cause accidents in these situations.

The vessels collided where the Texas City channel and ICW intersect. The collision resulted in the spill of more than 168,000 gallons (4,000 barrels) of heavy fuel oil into the bay.

Every mile of the ICW is governed by the Inland Navigation Laws but the legal framework is far more complex as Federal admiralty and maritime law overlap with state law and special inland area laws. Though the investigation regarding fault in the Houston wreckage is still ongoing, under federal law, Kirby Inland Marine is designated as the responsible party since the spilled oil came from its barge.

If you or someone you know has been involved in an offshore accident, finding a maritime lawyer who is experienced in these legal complexities is paramount. Contact the law office of Doyle where we have extensive experience with offshore and ICW injuries.

– Via Galveston County The Daily News