Despite being the slow-moving dinosaurs of the water that they are, barges can be extremely dangerous for both crew members and longshoremen working on loading or unloading cargo. Mistakes and maintenance issues frequently lead to accidents, leaving many workers to cope with serious and often life-changing injuries. At Morrow & Sheppard LLP, we are committed to helping Jones Act seamen, longshoremen, and other maritime workers win just compensation for injuries sustained in barge accidents at the Port of Houston and throughout the Gulf region. If you have been injured in a barge accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills, loss of income, chronic pain, and other losses.
Common Types of Barge Accident Cases
Accidents involving barges come in all shapes and sizes, usually involve a multitude of players, and are caused by a multitude of different things. Some of the most common barge accidents involve the following (this is not a full or complete list, but just a list of the most common types of barge cases):
Collisions and Allisions. Like all other vessels on the water, sometimes barges collide into objects docks, buoys, floating objects in the water, as well as other vessels navigating the waters. When this happens, the barge captain(s) and the captains’ employer(s) are usually to blame.
Cranes. Cranes are frequently involved in barge accidents. Cranes’ involvement in barge accidents come in many forms, but frequently they involve cranes being poorly operated by an untrained and/or negligent operator. This typically occurs from failures to properly operate the crane located aboard the barge as well as cranes operating from the docks to the barge while loading or removing freight, cargo, and personnel. Likewise, crane malfunctions result in large amounts of accidents involving barges when the crane is not properly maintained or repaired or improperly inspected.
Pinned or Crushed. Barge cases often involve barge workers or dock workers being pinned or crushed between the barge and a dock or between the barge and another vessel. These types of cases are usually a result of lack of training, poor guidance, negligent supervision, as well as improper or faulty communications.
(Again, this list is not does not cover all of the different types of cases involving barges, but these are the most common barge lawsuit case facts.)
Common Injuries in Barge Accidents
Whether navigating in open water or moored at a floating dock for loading or unloading, barges present a number of risks for serious injuries. While barges themselves can be dangerous workplaces, loose cargo, cranes, heavy equipment, and other potential hazards increase the risk of barge-related accidents. When you factor in inexperienced or negligent maritime workers, lack of safety protocols, and poor maintenance of barges and equipment, it is easy to see why barge accidents are not only all too common but also regularly to blame for serious maritime injuries. Some of the most common injuries sustained by the people working with, around, or aboard barges include:
- Being pinned or crushed between a barge and a dock
- Being struck by Cranes working with or on barges, as well as being struck by what the cranes moving or carrying to and from barges
- Crane accidents (including malfunctions and operator errors)
- Crushing injuries from falling or shifting cargo
- Heavy machinery and equipment accidents
- Injuries caused by “unseaworthy” barges
- Injuries from slips and falls
- Falls from devastating heights
- Near-drowning injuries
- And even Death
What Court Will Hear My Barge Accident Case?
Generally speaking, any court in the U.S. can hear a barge case. However, the majority of courts that are the most familiar and best suited to understand and properly adjudicate barge cases are the courts located in Houston, Corpus Christi, Galveston, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Miami, and Tampa.
Common locations of barge accident cases
Barge accidents can happen anywhere the barge and the victim are located and can occur at any time of the day or night. However, for the most part, barge cases generally occur in ports, coastal locations, and locations where navigable waters run (such as rivers and tributaries). The most frequent locations where barge accidents occur are in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as at ports in coastal cities in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and up the East Coast.
How Much Are Barge Accident Cases Worth?
No two barge cases are the same, and settlement amounts from barge cases vary across the board and depend on a multitude of different factors, including (there are a lot more factors but these are the most significant):
- The types and severity of the injuries sustained as a result of the barge accident
- What the facts and evidence in each case proves
- What knowledge the defendants had prior to the accident
- The parties involved in the case
- The availability of witnesses in the case
- The venue where the case is filed
- The responsibility of the injured person, if any, that may have contributed to causing the accident
- The amounts of income and wages an injured person has lost in the past as a result of the accident
- The amounts of income and wages an injured person will lose in the future as a result of the accident
- The different types and amounts of medical treatment a person has undergone for their physical injuries in the past and the different types and amounts of medical treatment that person will necessarily need to undergo in the future as a result of the accident,
- The different types of mental injuries a person sustains as a result of the accident, and
- One of the most important factors, if not the most important factor, that influences the settlement amount of barge cases is which law firm you choose to represent you to get you to the finish line.
The fact of the matter is that there are everyday run-of-the-mill law firms that represent victims of barge cases occasionally here and there, and then there are law firms that specialize in representing victims of barge accidents. Morrow & Sheppard is a barge injury lawsuit specialist, not just a law firm dabbling here and there in representing barge accident victims. We have a strong history of successfully taking on barge accident cases with favorable outcomes to our clients.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Barge Accident Law Firm
Sometimes, the amount of money it takes to get a law firm to represent you in a legal matter can cost you an arm and leg. Not Morrow & Sheppard. We represent clients on a contingency fee basis, which means you don’t pay us any money at all unless we win your case.
Being injured while working with, around, or aboard a barge is no joke and more times than not involves severe and devastating injuries and damages. No one injured while working with, around, or aboard barges should go the confusing and multi-dimensional route of handling their claims on their own. That’s where Morrow & Sheppard comes in. We are your go-to barge accident law firm. The attorneys at Morrow & Sheppard’s are no strangers to barge accidents. We know the routes necessary to take in order to get you all of the compensation you deserve after being injured while working with, around, or aboard a barge. So contact us for a free case consultation to discuss your case with an experienced barge injury attorney.
