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Jones Act Compensates Qualified Seamen for Offshore Accident Injuries
Jones Act Compensates Qualified Seamen for Offshore Accident Injuries 150 150 CMZ Law Lufkin/Houston

Q: Are there special laws that cover workers who are injured at sea?

On land, employees who are injured on the job are prohibited from suing their employers for damages but may collect certain compensation for medical expenses and lost income through Worker’s Compensation.

But employees injured in Off Shore accidents– such as fisherman, tugboat workers, and others–are covered under maritime accident laws, and some worker’s claims may also fall within the protection of the Jones Act.

Maritime and Offshore Accident lawyers with Jones Act experience are able to help those workers who work on or near the water recover much more than their onshore counterparts in the event they are injured at sea.

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Shipping Company Settles Several Wrongful Death Lawsuits Following Tragic Maritime Disaster
Shipping Company Settles Several Wrongful Death Lawsuits Following Tragic Maritime Disaster 150 150 CMZ Law Lufkin/Houston

In October 2015, as hurricane Joaquin bore down on the Gulf Coast states, Puerto Rico-based cargo shipping company Totes Services made the doomed decision to send its El Faro vessel from Jacksonville to San Juan, Puerto Rico – despite high winds and unsafe conditions in the seas. Tragically, 33 seamen lost their lives that fateful day when the ship lost all electric power and eventually succumbed to the depths of the ocean. The incident, deemed by the U.S. Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board as one of the

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The Future Medical Expenses Of Shannon McCoy Was Not Harmful
The Future Medical Expenses Of Shannon McCoy Was Not Harmful 150 150 CMZ Law Lufkin/Houston

There was legally sufficient evidence of causation; The trial court erred in excluding deposition testimony of the Defendant’s’ expert witness…

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State of Texas Data Reveals Vaccine Exemptions have Quadrupled Over Last Decade
State of Texas Data Reveals Vaccine Exemptions have Quadrupled Over Last Decade 150 150 CMZ Law Lufkin/Houston

One of the longest running medical debates surrounds the use of vaccinations. While some parents have no issue with vaccinating their children, while others are unhappy with the government mandating their children’s medical decisions.

Conscientious Exemptions

More and more, the state of Texas is receiving conscientious exemptions from state-mandated vaccinations. Last year alone, more than one percent of Texas students – both public and private schools – received such exemptions. Last year’s numbers are very telling, as the state saw four times as many exemptions as the 2007 – 2008 school year. According to state data, this rate has increased every single year since then.

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Suing Estates and Bar Owners for DUI Deaths
Suing Estates and Bar Owners for DUI Deaths 150 150 CMZ Law Lufkin/Houston

Q: Who can be sued if the drunk driver who caused the accident also died?

While state laws– as well as the particular circumstances of an automobile accident– differ, people who are seriously hurt (or the survivors of those who are killed) by a drunk driver who was also killed in the accident still may have legal recourse.

First, if someone is killed as a result of the negligent, reckless, or intentional actions or inactions of another person or entity, the closest surviving relatives of the victim can commence a wrongful death lawsuit to recover monetary damages.

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Suing Estates and Bar Owners for DUI Deaths
Suing Estates and Bar Owners for DUI Deaths 150 150 CMZ Law Lufkin/Houston

Q: Who can be sued if the drunk driver who caused the accident also died?

While state laws– as well as the particular circumstances of an automobile accident– differ, people who are seriously hurt (or the survivors of those who are killed) by a drunk driver who was also killed in the accident still may have legal recourse.

First, if someone is killed as a result of the negligent, reckless, or intentional actions or inactions of another person or entity, the closest surviving relatives of the victim can commence a wrongful death lawsuit to recover monetary damages.

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Pedestrians Aren’t Always Safe on Sidewalks
Pedestrians Aren’t Always Safe on Sidewalks 150 150 CMZ Law Lufkin/Houston

Q: Who can sue after a hit-and-run accident?

DWI car accidents in Houston are responsible for causing serious personal injuries and fatalities. This is particularly true when the victim of the car accident is an innocent pedestrian who was unfortunately in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Without the protection of a car of their own, pedestrians hit by motor vehicles often die at the scene or shortly thereafter from the blunt force and trauma of their injuries.

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Liability for Flood Water Electrocution Death in Houston
Liability for Flood Water Electrocution Death in Houston 150 150 CMZ Law Lufkin/Houston

Q: Who is responsible for electrocution deaths in flooded areas?

A former Eagle Scout committed to rescuing animals died doing just that when he was reportedly electrocuted while wading through knee-deep water in a Hurricane Harvey flooded neighborhood.

As he was walking on a sidewalk en route to his sister’s house he reportedly “felt a current in his ankle” and allegedly told the friend accompanying him not to come near him as he was electrocuted to death. The electric current allegedly came from a light fixture on the property beside the sidewalk. Now his surviving family has commenced a

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Amusement Park Accident Death Leads to Lawsuits
Amusement Park Accident Death Leads to Lawsuits 150 150 CMZ Law Lufkin/Houston

Q: Who is responsible for injuries in an amusement park accident?

Amusement park accidents can be the scene of some horrific injuries– somehow more tragic because they often involve unsuspecting children who only moments before were likely laughing with delight.

The legal doctrine of premises liability, a subsection of

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Liability for School Shootings
Liability for School Shootings 150 150 CMZ Law Lufkin/Houston

Can the parents of a school shooter be held accountable for his or her actions?

Parents send their children to school every day with the inherent belief that their child will be in a safe and supportive environment. When a school shooting occurs, it should cause all of us to pause and consider what can be done to prevent such tragedies. In the wake of the Parkland, Florida school shooting, we are all struggling to determine just who is to blame for the deaths of 17 innocent students and educators.

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