Undefeated Texas Maritime Injury Lawyers
Maritime companies have a duty to protect their workers. But after an offshore accident, their only priority is to protect themselves, often by minimizing victims’ injuries and paying as little as possible for the harm their workers have suffered.
When your family’s future is on the line, you need a maritime injury legal team that knows exactly how these companies operate, how to hold them fully accountable, and how to make them pay maximum compensation for the injuries they’ve caused.
At Zehl & Associates, our maritime injury lawyers have won Billions for injury victims, including some of the largest offshore injury verdicts and settlements on behalf of workers injured in the most catastrophic offshore oil rig explosions, maritime accidents, and industrial disasters in Texas and Louisiana history. We have the resources, trial experience, and track record to take on any maritime or offshore energy company in the world and force them to pay the maximum compensation possible — even when they refuse to take responsibility.
Read on to learn how we recently secured the largest Jones Act maritime accident settlement in Texas, and how we continue to win record-setting results for injured offshore workers and their families.
Largest Maritime Accident Settlement in Texas (2025)
Our client, a floorhand for one of the largest maritime companies in the United States, was injured while working in the moonpool of an offshore drillship in the Gulf of Mexico. When the negligent actions of co-workers triggered a sudden and violent incident, he suffered serious injuries to his back and neck. It changed his life in an instant.
The injuries required significant medical treatment and left him unable to return to the offshore work he’d built his entire career around.
The case settled shortly before trial for $16 Million, the largest maritime settlement in Texas in 2025.
Record-Breaking Recoveries for Injured Offshore Workers
Zehl & Associates is nationally recognized as one of the most successful maritime accident law firms in the country. Our Houston Maritime Accident Lawyers have recovered record-setting verdicts and settlements for clients in Texas, Louisiana, and across the United States for over two decades, including successfully representing five of the workers who were seriously injured aboard the Deepwater Horizon rig.
Our recent victories for maritime accident victims include:
- $30M won for a Jones Act seaman who sustained a mild to moderate traumatic brain injury while working offshore
- $9.1M won for an offshore worker who sustained a concussion and neck and back injuries while working on a jack-up rig
- $7.6M won for a Jones Act Seaman in Louisiana Federal Court
- $5.5M won for an offshore worker — 10X the initial offer — after one of the largest offshore drillers in the World tried to blame our client for his own injuries
How Do You Hold Offshore Companies Fully Accountable After an Injury?
Every offshore injury is different, but the path to holding the responsible parties fully accountable is grounded in a set of federal and maritime laws designed to protect offshore and maritime workers. These laws exist to ensure injured workers receive proper medical care, financial support during recovery, and compensation for the harm they’ve suffered.
Depending on how, where, and why the accident happened, there are several ways you may be able to hold the at-fault parties accountable, including:
- A Jones Act lawsuit against your employer, when unsafe work practices, lack of training, equipment failures, or careless supervision contribute to an offshore injury
- A lawsuit against the vessel owner for an unseaworthy vessel, when a rig, ship, or its equipment was not reasonably safe
- A lawsuit against third parties, such as contractors, manufacturers, or other companies whose negligence contributed to the accident
- Other maritime and offshore laws, including laws covering longshore and harbor workers, offshore deaths, and work on the Outer Continental Shelf, which may provide additional ways to recover compensation depending on the facts of your case
Many offshore injury cases involve multiple companies and third parties, including subcontractors and other crews working on the same vessel or platform. That’s why identifying every responsible party after an accident is critical. The only way to recover the maximum compensation available is to work with an experienced maritime injury lawyer who can identify every legal option and hold each company fully accountable for the harm they caused — not just your direct employer.
What Compensation Can You Recover in a Maritime Injury Lawsuit?
When an offshore accident happens, compensation is designed to account for both immediate losses and the long-term impact on your ability to work and live normally.
- Maintenance and cure covering medical treatment and basic living expenses during recovery
- Medical expenses, including surgery, rehabilitation, long-term care, and future treatment needs
- Lost wages and loss of earning capacity, if your injuries prevent you from returning to offshore work or reduce your future income
- Pain and suffering, including physical pain and emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life, when injuries permanently affect your ability to work or live as you did before
- Disability damages, including both temporary and permanent impairment
- Punitive damages may also be available when a company’s conduct goes beyond negligence and shows reckless disregard for worker safety
At Zehl & Associate, we do whatever it takes to ensure that our clients and their families are fully compensated for all of their injuries and damages.
We limit the number of cases we take so we can give each client the attention their case demands. That means taking the time to understand what was truly lost — not just the injuries, but the way those injuries affect your life and your family. We then build and present the case in a way that makes those losses impossible for a jury to overlook.
The result is simple: the full impact of the injury is seen, understood, and accounted for, forcing the at-fault companies to pay the maximum compensation available under the law.
Real Client Story: Seriously Injured on an Offshore Drillship
How We Helped Offshore Worker John Recover a Record-Setting Settlement
After more than 25 years in the oil and gas industry, John’s life turned upside down while working on an offshore drillship. A reckless equipment failure caused a frac iron to strike his leg, dragging him nearly ten feet across the deck and leaving him with severe injuries, including a complete ACL tear and broken tibia, and in need of multiple surgeries.
To make matters worse, instead of stepping in to help, his employer cut off his disability benefits and left him to deal with the aftermath on his own.
That’s when John called Zehl & Associates.
From day one, we focused on making sure he had access to the best possible medical care and that every part of what he lost was fully documented and understood. Our role was simple: take the pressure off John and his family, and make sure the company was held fully accountable for what happened.
Our commitment to clients in cases like this includes:
- Connecting you with leading medical specialists and ensuring your receive the care you need
- Conducting an independent investigation to uncover what really happened offshore and how the accident could and should have been prevented
- Preparing every case for trial from day one, so companies know if they refuse to take responsibility, they will face us in the courtroom, where we’ve never lost
- Refusing to settle for anything less than the maximum compensation possible for all of your injuries and losses
We secured a record-setting settlement for John, providing the financial security he needs to support himself and his family for the rest of his life, along with the stability and peace of mind to move forward.
“I’m an old-school worker. I thought this was an injury I could push through and move on from, but I just wasn’t able to,” John says. “With the settlement, we can move forward and put all this behind us — and that’s thanks to Zehl & Associates.”
Undefeated Maritime Accident Lawyers: 1-888-603-3636 for a Free Consultation
At Zehl & Associates, we have the resources, skills, and experience to take on the largest companies in the world and recover the maximum compensation possible for our clients. As our results demonstrate, we don’t just win — we set records.
If you were injured or tragically lost a loved one to an offshore accident or explosion, you don’t have to take on the company alone. Call us for a free consultation at 1-888-603-3636 or send us a confidential email through our Contact Us form.
We’ll answer your questions, explain your rights, and ensure you have the necessary information to make informed decisions about what is best for you and your family.
All consultations are free, and you won’t pay us a dime unless we win your case.
Frequently Asked Questions: Maritime Accidents & Offshore Injuries
The Jones Act generally applies to offshore and maritime workers who spend a significant amount of their work time on a vessel or fleet of vessels in navigation.
You may qualify if:
- You work on a vessel or offshore rig as part of your regular job
- Your work contributes to the operation of that vessel or fleet
- You have a substantial connection to the vessel or offshore assignment rather than land-based work
Even workers who split time between offshore and land-based duties may still qualify depending on how their job is structured.
The only way to know for sure is to have your case reviewed by an experienced offshore injury lawyer.
If you are injured offshore, maritime law may give you the right to pursue compensation from your employer and other responsible companies.
Depending on your situation, this may include the right to:
- Receive medical treatment paid for by your employer
- Recover lost wages and compensation for your injuries
- Hold your employer accountable if unsafe conditions or negligence contributed to the accident
- Bring a lawsuit if you were injured due to unsafe practices, equipment failures, or careless supervision
- Pursue additional compensation if a vessel, rig, or offshore worksite was not reasonably safe
Offshore injury cases are almost always handled by the employer and their insurance companies immediately after an accident — and their goal is to limit what they pay, not to fully compensate injured workers.
Having an experienced offshore injury lawyer levels the playing field.
A lawyer can help by:
- Identifying every company that may be responsible for the accident
- Securing evidence and investigating what really happened offshore
- Making sure you receive proper medical treatment and benefits
- Handling communications with the company and insurers
- Building a case designed for trial so the full value of your losses is taken seriously
Without legal representation, injured workers are often pressured into accepting less than what their case is truly worth.
The deadline to file an offshore injury lawsuit depends on the specific laws that apply to your case, including federal maritime law and where the accident occurred.
- Jones Act injury lawsuits must be filed within 3 years of the accident
- Some related injury or benefits claims (including employer-administered benefits or administrative remedies) may require much earlier notice or action
In many cases, injured offshore workers have a limited amount of time to take legal action, and waiting too long can prevent you from recovering compensation altogether.
Because evidence offshore can disappear quickly and companies begin investigating immediately after an accident, it is important to speak with an offshore injury lawyer as soon as possible to protect your rights.
Once hired, we do everything in our power to make sure you never have to worry about your family’s financial future ever again. We ensure that you receive the top medical treatment for your injuries, assist with medical bills and reasonable living expenses while your case is pending, and offer around the clock support, so you and your family can focus on what matters most.
We handle every part of the process so injured offshore workers and their families can focus on recovery. That includes investigating the accident to determine exactly what happened offshore and how it could (and should) have been prevented, identifying every at-fault party, gathering and preserving key evidence to hold them fully accountable, and presenting the full impact of your injuries and losses to the jury, so nothing is undervalued or ignored.
Our goal is simple: make sure every responsible company is held fully accountable and every dollar of compensation available under the law is recovered.
Helpful Resources for Injured Offshore & Maritime Workers
- Can Offshore Explosion Victims Sue in Houston?
- When Does Maritime Law Apply to Personal Injury Claims?
- Does Texas Maritime Law Apply to Your Case?
- Maritime Accidents: Understanding Your Rights Under the Jones Act
- How Much Could I Receive in a Houston Maritime Injury Claim?
- What Should I Do After a Maritime Accident in Houston, TX?