Texas Offshore Crane & Lifting Injury Lawyer

Gulf offshore platforms and drilling rigs operate pedestal cranes, whirley cranes, and knuckle-boom cranes that lift everything from supply containers to drill pipe to personnel in baskets. When a crane drops a load, strikes a worker with a swinging boom, or fails during a personnel lift, the injuries are almost always catastrophic. A Texas offshore crane accident lawyer at McFarlane Law represents crane operators, riggers, signalmen, deck workers, and anyone injured by defective or negligently operated offshore cranes and lifting equipment. Our firm has recovered more than $100 million for injured Texans.

Offshore Crane Accident Scenarios

Dropped loads account for a large share of serious offshore crane injuries — a single dropped container, bundle of pipe, or rigging component can kill. Two-blocking (when the hook reaches the boom tip and the hoist continues, tearing the rigging apart) causes catastrophic line snap-back. Boom failures from overloading, wind, or structural fatigue drop booms onto crews. Swinging loads strike workers who are moving below. Personnel basket (Billy Pugh, FROG) failures during lift can plunge workers into the sea. Crane rollover on unstable decks, failures of outriggers on supply vessels, and mechanical failures of the hoist drum or brake system all produce serious injuries. API RP 2D and CCO (Crane Operator) certifications govern offshore crane operations — and their violation is strong negligence evidence.

Who Is Liable in a Texas Offshore Crane Case

Offshore crane liability typically involves multiple companies. The crane operator’s employer (often a third-party crane service company) has Jones Act or OCSLA duties to the operator and general maritime or 905(b) duties to others injured by the crane. The platform operator controls lift planning and permit-to-work systems. The rigging contractor (often a service company) is liable for failed slings, shackles, and spreader bars. The crane manufacturer and component manufacturers face product-liability exposure for design or manufacturing defects. The maintenance contractor is liable for inadequate inspection and repair. In many cases, multiple parties are liable under overlapping theories, and McFarlane Law structures the case to maximize total recovery from every insurer.

API RP 2D and Industry Standards

American Petroleum Institute Recommended Practice 2D — “Operation and Maintenance of Offshore Cranes” — is the consensus industry standard for offshore crane operations. It governs operator qualification, daily inspections, wire rope inspection frequency, annual mechanical inspection, load testing, weather limits, personnel transfer operations, and more. OSHA’s general industry crane standard (29 CFR 1910.180) and the Coast Guard’s vessel crane regulations also apply depending on the crane’s location and use. When a crane operator lacks API certification, when daily inspections are skipped, when wire rope is not replaced per standards, or when loads exceed charts, these violations become negligence-per-se evidence. McFarlane Law retains former offshore crane supervisors and rigging engineers to prove the connection between standard violations and the incident.

Catastrophic Injuries from Offshore Crane Incidents

Offshore crane injuries are almost always severe. Struck-by injuries from dropped loads or swinging booms produce traumatic brain injuries, spinal fractures, multiple limb fractures, and crush injuries to the torso requiring emergency medevac. Personnel basket failures that drop workers into the sea produce drowning, hypothermia, and blunt trauma from the impact. Wire rope snap-back injuries from two-blocking or overloading produce amputations and degloving injuries. Even “minor” crane incidents frequently end an offshore worker’s career. Damages models routinely exceed $1 million for serious injuries and can reach $10 million-plus for catastrophic cases. McFarlane Law builds complete damages models with medical, economic, and vocational experts.

Related Practice Areas

Related: Texas oil platform accident lawyer, Texas offshore drilling rig injury lawyer, Texas Jones Act lawyer, Texas heavy equipment accident lawyer. Hub: Texas offshore injury lawyer.

Talk to a Texas Injury Lawyer Today

If an offshore crane or lifting incident injured you or killed a loved one, call McFarlane Law for a free case evaluation. Austin (512) 222-4900, Odessa (432) 803-5000.