Maritime Injury Lawyer Baytown, TX
If you’ve been hurt on the water, at a harbor, at a marine terminal, or at a shipyard in or near Baytown, we are here to help you. Maritime law has been building for centuries and now includes the federal Jones Act for seamen, the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act for harbor and dock workers, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act for fixed-platform workers, the Death on the High Seas Act for certain fatal incidents beyond state waters, and general maritime doctrines like unseaworthiness and maintenance and cure. Which of those applies to your case depends on where you were, what you were doing, and who you worked for.
At Greenberg Streich Injury Lawyers, we’ve handled maritime injury files across Texas and Gulf-state waters for more than a decade, including a $16 million Jones Act traumatic brain injury settlement and a $3.53 million Jones Act towboat capsize settlement. We represent injured workers and their families, not vessel owners, marine terminal operators, or their insurance carriers. Every case is on contingency. No retainer, no hourly billing, no fee unless we recover.
If you need a Baytown, TX maritime injury lawyer who workers and families can trust with a high-stakes case, call us. We are ready to listen and move quickly to protect your claim.
Why Choose Greenberg Streich Injury Lawyers for Maritime Injury Cases in Baytown, TX?
Trial Experience in Catastrophic Maritime Cases
Co-founder Matt Greenberg has practiced personal injury law in Baytown, TX for 12 years and has served as lead trial counsel in cases that produced record-setting verdicts and settlements across multiple catastrophic injury categories. He earned his J.D. at Baylor Law School and has been recognized by Super Lawyers, Lawdragon, and the National Trial Lawyers.
Mike Streich has handled maritime injury cases for 13 years. He graduated cum laude from the Houston Law Center and is a member of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association. Before moving to the plaintiff side, Mike spent close to a decade defending corporations and insurance syndicates, including members of Lloyd’s of London, in maritime and catastrophic injury claims. That background informs how he investigates, values, and tries maritime cases against vessel owners, operators, and their carriers today.
Results That Matter to Maritime Workers
Our lawyers have recovered over $375 million for clients across Texas. Alongside the Jones Act and Port of Freeport recoveries noted above, our maritime-adjacent outcomes include a $20 million oilfield burn settlement and a $12.7 million oilfield settlement in matters involving injured workers who rotated between offshore and shore-based assignments.
Contingency Fee Representation
Maritime workers and the families of deceased mariners should not be paying retainer checks. Our firm advances investigation costs, accident reconstruction, vessel and equipment analysis, and Coast Guard and NTSB record retrieval, and our attorney fees are paid only out of the recovery if we win.
Client Feedback
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Matt Greenberg is incredibly skilled. I witnessed him get a non-liable defendant to admit liability.”
Brendan, Defense Attorney
Read more reviews on our Google Business Profile.
Types of Maritime Injury Cases We Handle in Baytown
Baytown sits at the heart of one of the most active maritime regions in the country. The Houston Ship Channel, the Port of Houston, Galveston Bay, and Gulf access all feed a maritime economy that employs seamen, longshoremen, shipyard workers, barge crews, dredging operators, and harbor craft. Our firm handles the most serious categories of incidents across that workforce.
- Seaman injuries. Deckhands, mates, engineers, and captains injured on vessels in navigation typically pursue claims under the federal Jones Act, as well as general maritime law remedies for unseaworthiness and maintenance and cure.
- Longshore and harbor worker injuries. Dockside workers, marine terminal operators, and many shipyard workers fall under the federal Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act rather than the Jones Act. LHWCA provides a no-fault benefit framework plus potential third-party claims.
- Offshore injuries. Workers hurt on fixed platforms on the Outer Continental Shelf have specialized claims that often overlap with our offshore injury matters.
- Dredge and barge crew injuries. Dredging and barge fleeting operations around the Ship Channel produce serious line-handling, pinch-point, and fall-into-hold incidents.
- Shipyard and vessel construction injuries. New build, repair, and drydock work introduces hazards similar to construction site operations, with added maritime jurisdictional questions.
- Explosion accidents. Engine-room fires, fuel flashes, and cargo-related explosions cause catastrophic burn injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and other disabling injuries.
- Chemical releases and exposures. Chemical tanker, barge, and terminal release events can injure multiple workers simultaneously and often overlap with refinery accident claims when a terminal is attached to a processing facility.
- Oilfield work adjacent to waterways. Crews working on or near inland and near-coastal oil and gas infrastructure may have overlapping oilfield and maritime claims.
- Boating accidents. Small-boat and near-coastal events frequently produce serious, sometimes fatal, injuries.
- Traumatic brain injuries. Head strikes on low clearances, line-strike events, and falls into holds cause serious traumatic brain injury that shapes the entire damages picture.
- Fatal maritime incidents. When a seaman, longshoreman, or vessel passenger dies, surviving spouses, children, and parents may pursue wrongful death claims under federal and state law.
Texas Legal Requirements for Maritime Injury Claims
Maritime injury law is predominantly federal, with some state-law interactions. A handful of rules frame most files.
The Jones Act. Under 46 U.S.C. § 30104, a seaman injured in the course of employment may bring a civil action against the employer, with the right to a jury trial and liability standards borrowed from the Federal Employers’ Liability Act. Jones Act coverage is limited to “seamen” whose duties contribute to the function of a vessel in navigation and whose connection to the vessel is substantial in both duration and nature.
Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act. Harbor workers, longshoremen, shipbuilders, and repair workers who are not Jones Act seamen are generally covered by LHWCA, administered by the U.S. Department of Labor. LHWCA provides a no-fault compensation framework, along with the right to pursue third-party claims against vessel owners and other non-employers under 33 U.S.C. § 905(b).
Statute of limitations. Under 46 U.S.C. § 30106, a civil action for maritime personal injury or death generally must be filed within three years of the cause of action. LHWCA claims generally require filing within one year. The steps taken after a serious accident often determine how strong the case becomes.
Death on the High Seas Act. Under 46 U.S.C. § 30302, certain fatal incidents occurring beyond three nautical miles from shore are governed by DOHSA, which limits recovery to pecuniary losses and is brought by the personal representative on behalf of the surviving spouse, parent, child, or dependent relative.
Unseaworthiness and maintenance and cure. General maritime law imposes on shipowners an absolute and non-delegable duty to provide a seaworthy vessel, and Jones Act seamen are also entitled to maintenance (a daily living allowance) and cure (medical care to the point of maximum medical improvement) regardless of fault.
Maritime safety data. OSHA maritime standards, BLS fatal injury data, and NTSB marine investigations confirm that maritime work remains among the most dangerous occupations in the country.
What Damages Are Recoverable in a Baytown Maritime Injury Case?
The available damages depend on which statute governs the claim. Maritime injured workers and their families may pursue several overlapping categories.
Economic damages. These include past and future medical expenses, rehabilitation, assistive devices, lost wages, lost earning capacity, and, in fatal cases, funeral costs. Jones Act seamen also receive maintenance and cure. LHWCA provides statutorily defined compensation and medical benefits rather than open-ended economic damages. In fatal cases governed by DOHSA, recoverable losses are limited to pecuniary losses, although more recent cases have recognized limited non-pecuniary recovery in certain situations. These serious cases often require the services of a forensic economist and a vocational analyst.
Non-economic damages. Recovery for physical pain, mental anguish, disfigurement, physical impairment, and loss of enjoyment of life is available under general maritime law and under OCSLA claims filed in accordance with Texas state law. For LHWCA claims, compensation is calibrated by statute rather than by broad recovery for pain and suffering, but third-party suits against non-employers fall under the broader category.
Punitive damages. Punitive damages are generally not recoverable on a Jones Act negligence claim, but the Supreme Court has held that punitive damages may be available for willful and wanton disregard of the duty to provide maintenance and cure. For OCSLA matters that borrow Texas law, Texas exemplary damages under CPRC Chapter 41 require clear and convincing evidence of gross negligence, fraud, or malice.
If the injury involves a third-party vessel, a dockside contractor, or a defective product, additional sources of coverage often apply beyond the immediate employer’s insurance.
Contact Greenberg Streich Injury Lawyers
A serious maritime injury can end a career built over years on the water or on the docks, and maritime law is not something to navigate alone. You deserve a firm that takes the case as seriously as you do. Our attorneys will listen carefully, review the evidence, and give you an honest assessment of your options, including whether a lawsuit is the right next step.
Consultations are free. You pay nothing unless we recover money for you. Greenberg Streich Injury Lawyers responds to calls and form submissions promptly, and we can meet in person, by phone, or by video, whichever works best for you.
Contact us today to speak with our Baytown maritime injury lawyer about what happened and what comes next.
