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02/12/2020

VB Attorneys Delivers Another Life-changing Settlement

Brian Beckcom

Brian Beckcom

02/12/2020

Sloppy Supervisors

Our law firm recently settled a big case for a client who worked in the maritime industry as an electrician for several years. Like most seafarers, he worked hard for many years to establish a steady career that paid good money. All of that changed when he hurt his back working for a negligent offshore company.

Our client was an experienced maritime electrician who knew his way around a vessel. This was not his first rodeo and he advised his supervisors not to do away with lifting equipment that was needed to perform his duties both safely and effectively. But despite his expertise and his efforts to bring light to an important safety issue, he was forced to follow the orders of his sloppy superiors who had a history of cheating the safety rules.

His company instead forced our client to manually lift 250 pound-plus inverters up stairs and through small doorways. Ultimately, this lifting was the cause of a severe back injury. A disc in his back was torn so badly that de developed claudication, and condition in which the disc fluids block the spinal canal completely, causing excruciating pain.

A Life-changing Injury

Anyone who’s ever worked in the maritime industry can tell you that this line of work is not for the feeble or the frail. And the burdensome conditions of life offshore are exacerbated when you’re forced to work for negligent corporations who care more about their bottom dollar than the very pillars of their industry. Quite literally the backs of their employees.

Our client reported his injuries and was hung out to dry. Like many injured seamen, he decided to follow orders and work through the pain from fear of being reprimanded, fired, or worse blackballed. Our client had worked hard his entire life to become a skilled laborer to provide for his family and all of that was being jeopardized because of the carelessness and apathy of his employers.

His back injury and pains were only getting worse. He knew he would soon become a liability to his company. As the fears of becoming unable to work grew larger, he began to think about his family’s financial future. This injury was about to leave our client in a terrible financial situation.

A Life-changing Settlement

Our client was driven to take action after the uncertainty of his family’s financial stability became a reality. Our client’s company was not taking his injury seriously and was refusing to admit any responsibility at all, so he hired our law firm to go after his company under the Jones Act, a law that protects injured maritime workers.

Our team immediately helped our client get the medical care he needed to start recovering from his injuries. We knew that our client was in physical pain but that was not the only thing he was anxious about. His family’s financial insecurities left them in need of reassurance so we did our best to provide them with compassion.

“All you guys have been great. You made us feel like family. ” - Our Client

Brian Beckcom personally oversaw the investigation needed to uncover the evidence that would prove negligence against our client’s employer.

“Brian was there for me 24/7 even before we filed my case and was very passionate about helping me with anything I needed.” - Our Client

After a year of in-depth investigation that included depositions and court hearings, the company agreed to pay a substantial settlement that will ensure that our client and his family have their needs taken care of for a very long time. In fact, our client was able to use a portion of his settlement to purchase a fully furnished beautiful home for his family. All the financial uncertainty was washed away when Brian settled his case.

“Excellent firm with great people. They have made me feel like family and always are there for me when I have questions or concerns about my case. Excellent communication even on the weekends.” - Our Client

“The most rewarding part about being an attorney is sharing stories like this. I get to share with y’all how happy we are when a when one of our clients who is in a terrible financial situation gets a good settlement and is able to do something worthwhile with it..” - Brian Beckcom

Founding partner Brian Beckcom is a leading authority in maritime law and has helped thousands of clients win their cases by recovering millions in settlements against negligent offshore companies.