Fighting For And Securing Maritime Worker Injury Claim Compensation
We Fight for Workers Throughout Southeast Louisiana
Federal laws — the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA) and the Jones Act — and workers' compensation insurance cover injuries to employees who work on the water, in ports and harbors and in navigable waters.
However, insurance companies are not exactly as compassionate as one would hope, or willing to dish up the money you deserve when dealing with a maritime worker injury. Most insurance companies don't understand that you can't avoid when accidents occur, and they are not always preventable. You need a Louisiana law firm that is dedicated to fighting for and protecting maritime workers and their families.
The Schwartz Law Firm LLC has offices in Baton Rouge and Metairie, and we also have over 25 years of combined experience bringing legal actions on behalf of people severely injured in maritime jobs and dock work. Ship owners, harbor operators and shipping service companies are responsible for maintaining the safety of workers and seamen.
Your claim is valuable – don't let a greedy insurance company diminish it. If you have experienced a maritime worker injury, you need an experienced maritime accident claim lawyer on your side from the start.
Get the Full and Fair Compensation You Deserve
If you are injured as a sailor, longshoreman, harbor worker or offshore worker, you are entitled to compensation for at least your medical care costs and two-thirds of your average weekly pay while you are unable to work. Injured workers who file a claim under the LHWCA can recover only medical benefits and lost wages, but injured longshoremen and harbor workers may be entitled to these benefits for life, depending on the severity of injuries. Any maritime worker injury under the Jones Act requires a lesser burden of proof, and injury claim compensations could also include pain and suffering damages beyond wage loss and compensation for medical expenses.
However, your employer's workers' compensation insurer is not likely to simply pay you the full benefits you are entitled to receive. Insurance companies do not view any kind of maritime worker injury in as a serious light as they should be. The insurer will most definitely try to make you jump through a series of legal and administrative hoops, all in an effort to find grounds to minimize your claim for benefits.
It is important to note that it is crucial to seek help regardless of the maritime worker injury you suffered. Even suffering from slip and falls could be enough grounds for you to receive compensation, especially if it was a major injury. All maritime accidents and injuries must be noted. You could be jipping yourself of a plethora of legal options and money. At Schwartz Law Firm LLC, our main priority and goal is to protect maritime workers. We aim to educate you on maritime laws that can be used in your benefit when it comes down to compensation and allowing you to get your pre-injury life back.
Recreational and Other Users Injured On the Water
Employees who actually work on offshore drilling rigs or in shipping and longshore-related occupations (those covered by the LHWCA and the Jones Act) are probably a minority of those who use the water. It's important to be aware of whether or not you are someone that is covered by these statutes.
Other users that are not covered by these statutes are among the following:
- Recreational sailors
- Fishers
- Passengers and crew members on cruise ships
- Members of scientific expeditions
- River workers
- First responders
In such cases, the attorneys at Schwartz Law Firm are still able to bring an action to recover the compensation due to you, under the general principles of negligence law that apply to injuries suffered offshore as much as on land. The action is most likely to be governed by federal law and held in federal court, where we have had considerable success with negligence cases over the years.
Our Attorneys in Baton Rouge and Metairie are Available 24/7
The Schwartz Law Firm LLC will fight endlessly and diligently for you to obtain all the compensation to which you are legally entitled for your damages and losses. Contact us online or call us at 504-837-2263 to set up a free initial consultation with one of our experienced attorneys. You do not have to pay anything unless we win a recovery for you, in which case we will only charge just a fraction of your recovery as a simple attorney fee.