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From the moment I came to this law firm, I felt peace in my heart. You all were my voice. Thank you Mr. Curtis, you are a great attorney. I want to especially thank you for your effort and dedication and the good heart you put in my case. You are very professional. God Bless you always.

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Therapist
Houston, Texas
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Houston lawyer commenting on deposition of defense orthopedic doctor taken by V&B
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Betty J. Richmond

Retired
Houston, Texas
Brian & Curtis

Thank you for all you've done for me in regards to my case.

Sincerely

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Seafood Worker
Deltona, Florida
I would like to thank Brian Beckcom and his staff for their professionalism and their support. . . I knew when I met Brian that he was more than qualified to handle my father's wrongful death case . . .if I needed his help again I wouldn't hesitate to call.

Sabrina M, U.S. Air Force enlisted

Houston, Texas
Just when we thought we would never find someone who would listen to our story, V&B opened their doors to us. For one month, I spoke to 25 lawyers and the answer I received was "your case is a lost case, no one will ever represent you."

Aridana Perez (mother of Miguel Perez, Jr., auto accident victim)
Houston, Texas
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Kurt R., Houston, Texas
I also have a heart full of gratitude for the way you presented such an excellent court case on behalf of me and my kids.

Gloria H., Wichita, Kansas
Brian, I recommend your maritime book highly. I also happily recommend you, personally.

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I sat on one of your juries early this year. I observed your eloquence and complete passion....you seem to be a man of utmost qualifications.

- Juror on one of Vuk's cases (name withheld)
Vuk, it has been such a wonderful experience working with you and your staff. Thank you so much for all the hard work that you did to help my family and I survive through the most difficult time of our lives.

Phuong N.
Houston, Texas
I was injured in an auto accident in Houston, and was referred to Vuk by another attorney. I couldn't work as a result of the accident and desperately needed back and knee surgery.. . . Vuk was able to get me a generous settlement within about a year of taking my case.

Steven R.
Deer Park, Texas
After my two-year old son was killed by an 18-wheeler driver and me and my daughter were badly injured, we hired Brian and Vuk to represent us on the recommendation of another lawyer.

This was the hardest time in our lives and it was great knowing we had you there to represent us.

Justin and Sonya H., Splendora, Texas

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We designed this website to provide information to consumers, injured people, and their families. Our goal is to level the playing field between consumers and insurance companies and expose the tricks, traps, and techniques they use to cheat injured people out of their legal rights. We also let consumers know about legal news, including verdicts and settlements and other interesting legal information.

But please understand that nothing on this website is meant to provide legal information about your specific case, create an attorney-client relationship, or imply that the results of your legal case will be the same as some other case.

Vujasinovic & Beckcom Blog

Jones Act & Maritime Law

10/30/2009
Tom Foster
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Pirate attacks surge, putting maritime workers in danger

Between January and September of this year, there were 306 pirate attacks. This means that the number of pirate attacks for 2009 have already exceeded the number for all of 2008 (293 attacks), bad news for maritime workers and shipping companies.

Experts cite a sharp increase in the number of raids in the Gulf of Aden and off of the east coast of Somalia as the main reason for the rise. In addition to a higher number of attacks, many more pirates have been using guns than in years past, a troubling trend.

Guns were used in 176 of this year’s pirate attacks, compared to 76 during the same period last year. The increase in violence is bad news for ship crews and maritime workers who are increasingly at the mercy of armed and determined bandits.

Unrest in Somalia is a contributing factor to the increase in pirate attacks, with raids off the coast accounting for 147 cases so far this year. By comparison, there were 20 attacks from Nigeria, 14 from Malaysia, 12 from Bangladesh and 10 each for India and Peru.

Pirates are becoming more sophisticated with their attacks, using not only guns but also technology to improve their odds of success. Attacks are occurring further offshore, as pirates launch raids from “mother ships” that can carry attackers further from shore than usually possible in the small boats that are typically used.

The most recent attack was several days ago when Somali pirates attacked a Thai vessel, bringing the total number of vessels being held by Somali pirates along their coastline to 8. Vujasinovic & Beckcom is currently handling several pirate attack cases, including the case based on Somali pirates attacking the Maersk Alabama.

Labels: maritime worker injury pirate attack ship crew accident

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