Workers who are injured in a helicopter crash while working offshore are often unsure of their legal rights. The Louisiana offshore helicopter accident lawyers at Lambert Zainey have helped many accident victims, and the families of those killed, to understand and exercise their rights to the full extent of the law.
Over $1 Billion Recovered For Our Injured Clients
Some of the most important protections available to offshore workers are the rights to:
Medical treatment of your choosing
If you are injured in a chopper crash offshore, you have the right to seek medical care at the hospital and through the medical practitioner of your choice. Some employers will try to encourage injured workers to accept medical attention from a company-affiliated practitioner; however, they cannot legally force you to do so.
Take time to recover
Survivors of helicopter accidents often suffer catastrophic injuries that require long-term medical treatment and physical therapy to overcome. Offshore and maritime workers have the right to completely recover and heal until cleared by their doctor to return to work.
However, employers may encourage you to return to work before a doctor has OK’d it, offering to put you on light duty and even threatening you with the loss of your job if you don’t. If your company pushes for a return to work before your doctor has approved it, please know that legally you are not obligated to agree to their demands.
Remain silent about the accident
The right to remain silent is often associated with having committed a crime, but it’s an equally important right for accident victims. If your employer is pushing you to admit fault in an offshore accident or demanding that you sign waivers of the company’s liability, don’t fall for it! You have the right to not discuss the accident with your company, their attorneys, their insurance adjusters or any other representatives without legal representation of your own.
Legal assistance
This brings us to arguably the most important right of anyone injured in a helicopter crash while working offshore: The right to an experienced attorney. Depending on the circumstances of the accident, you may be able to file a claim to recover damages if you are:
- Injured in an offshore aviation accident
- The spouse or legal guardian of a person injured
- The legal representative for the estate of a person killed in the accident
- Next of kin for a person killed in an accident
- A person who was within the “zone of danger” around the accident who suffered emotional or psychological trauma
Nationally Recognized Attorneys
Offshore Helicopter Accident Information Center
Let our Louisiana Offshore Helicopter Accident Lawyers Help You
For more than 35 years, the Lambert Firm has represented offshore workers and their families in personal injury and wrongful death claims. We have represented pilots, passengers, and survivors of passenger‑victims in offshore helicopter accident claims and understand how debilitating injuries can limit your ability to work and return to a normal quality of life.
If you or a loved one has been injured in any type of helicopter crash, we can help you through the complex claims process, protect your legal rights, and aggressively pursue compensation on your behalf. Contact a New Orleans offshore helicopter injury lawyer at Lambert Zainey today.