Maritime Accident Attorney in Lafayette, LA

A Personal Injury Law Firm Dedicated to Helping Injured Maritime Workers Pursue Compensation Following Maritime Accidents Caused by Employer Negligence and Liable Third Parties

Louisiana is home to more than 50,000 maritime workers. Those 50,000+ jobs account for approximately $11 billion in annual state revenue. And while every job in the world has its own risks and downfalls, few professions are as dangerous as those that take place off the coast and on the water. In addition to that, most Louisiana maritime employees are not protected by the state’s traditional workers’ compensation benefits and policies. Fortunately, there are still legal options available to those with maritime jobs who have suffered an offshore injury.

Maritime accident victims may be eligible for a substantial settlement depending on the facts surrounding their maritime claims. However, to pursue full compensation for your accident claim, injured workers are encouraged to retain professional legal counsel from experienced maritime injury lawyers. Maritime lawyers are familiar with the complexities of state law and general maritime law and how various acts protect qualified longshoremen and other offshore workers in Louisiana.

Landgrave Garcia Injury Attorneys is a personal injury law firm experienced in handling cases involving maritime injury law. Our Lafayette law offices are home to a compassionate and highly skilled legal team with years of experience dedicated to personal injury law. We offer a free, no-obligation case evaluation to all prospective new clients interested in the services of a maritime injury lawyer. To discuss your maritime accident case in more detail and determine your legal options for pursuing financial recovery, please contact our Lafayette, Louisiana, law office today.

What Are the Complex Maritime Laws of Louisiana and the Navigable Waters Off the Gulf Coast?

Many offshore accidents involve maritime industry employees like seamen, oil platform workers, cruise ship employees, commercial fishing workers, and more. Unlike most workers on dry land, injured seamen or other offshore workers cannot simply file a workers’ compensation claim to recover benefits. However, general maritime laws do apply and protect your case.

Depending on the unique facts of your personal injury case, your maritime accident may fall under the following protections:

• Death on the High Seas Act
• Jones Act (sometimes referred to as the Merchant Marine Act)
• Limitation of Liability Act
• Longshoreman and Harbor Workers Compensation Act (LHWCA)
• Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA)

Because of the complex state, federal, and maritime laws that could be involved in your maritime accident case, you should retain a personal injury attorney experienced in handling maritime accident cases. As your legal representation, we will do everything within our power to hold responsible parties accountable for injuries and other losses suffered in a maritime accident. To learn more about maritime law and how it could affect your claim, please schedule a free case review with our Lafayette legal staff today.

What Types of Maritime Accident Claims Do Our Lafayette Maritime Lawyers Represent?

If you have suffered a serious injury in a maritime accident, you must not delay in contacting a personal injury lawyer experienced in maritime law cases. Landgrave Garcia Injury Attorneys has extensive experience representing clients in maritime accident cases, and we would be proud to represent your interests in and out of court as you seek compensation for your losses.

Maritime accident claims we represent include the following:

• Accidents on cruise ships
• Barge accidents
• Boat and watercraft accidents
• Cargo ship accidents
• Commercial fishing accidents
• Crude oil tanker accidents
• Deckhand accidents
• Diving support vessel accidents
• Dredging accidents
• Drilling accidents
• Marine crane accidents
• Offshore helicopter crashes
• Offshore oil rig accidents
• Offshore platform and vessel explosions
• River and inland water accidents
• Shipyard accidents on docks, harbors, or piers
• Shrimp boat accidents
• Tugboat accidents

Maritime injury cases are complicated by the fact that they typically fall under the jurisdiction of maritime (or admiralty) law. This type of law has its own court system protocols and other sets of laws. If you’ve been injured on or near a body of water like the ocean, you need lawyers with experience in maritime injury law cases. Contact our Lafayette personal injury law firm for legal guidance.

What Are Common Maritime Injuries in Offshore Accidents?

Maritime employees must face several risk factors while on the job offshore. Heavy machinery, toxic chemicals, and other dangers pose a risk to personal life and limb. The types of injuries sustained in maritime accidents vary widely.

Maritime injuries we represent include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Amputation of limbs
• Catastrophic injuries like spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries
• Compartment Syndrome
• Complete or partial paralysis
• Crushing injuries
• Electrocution
• Hypothermia
• Internal bleeding and organ damage
• Lung damage after toxic exposure
• Near drowning
• Nerve damage
• Third-degree burns
• Wrongful death

Whatever your type of injuries, be they minor or severe injuries, you deserve compensation for your losses if you suffer your injury while working offshore. Injured seamen, drill workers, fishermen, and other injured maritime workers face complexities that their colleagues on land do not. Schedule a free initial consultation with our law firm to discuss your case with experienced maritime accident attorneys.

What is the Jones Act?

The Jones Act is a federal law that provides protection to shipping, oil and gas, and certain other maritime industry workers who qualify as seamen. The Act provides a means for injured maritime employees to recover compensation for accidents that occurred while at sea.

To qualify as a seaman under the Jones Act, an injured worker must have spent at least 30% of their working time aboard a ship. For more information about whether or not you qualify for the Jones Act protections, please give us a call.

How Can Our Maritime Injury Attorneys Help You with Your Jones Act Claims?

Before seeking compensation for medical treatment, lost wages, and other losses, it’s essential to understand who the Jones Act applies to and whether you are an eligible Jones Act seaman under the law. Our experienced Jones Act lawyers can help victims who were injured while performing their maritime work duties seek fair financial recovery through a Jones Act claim.

You could potentially be eligible for Jones Act compensation if you meet at least one of the following criteria:

• You have a direct connection to a maritime vessel
• You have a substantial role to play in the operation of that vessel
• At least 30% of your time is spent on board the maritime vessel, and you directly contribute to its continued operations

Even in cases where there is no employer negligence or fault to assign to a liable party, maritime employers are required to provide maintenance and cure benefits to Jones Act seamen hurt in the service of the ship or vessel. Maintenance and cure benefits help injured seamen reach maximum medical improvement via health and accident insurance. There could be significant penalties for maritime vessel owners and other employers who failed to provide injured maritime workers with adequate maintenance and cure benefits.

To learn more about how our Jones Act attorneys can help you recover compensation under maritime injury law, please contact us to schedule your free case review today.

What is the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act?

Among the most dangerous jobs in the country are shipyard jobs that take place on harbors, docks, and piers. Harbor workers and longshoremen face higher risks of crushing injuries, “caught between” accidents, toxic chemical exposure, and other dangers.

The Longshoremen and Harbor Workers Compensation Act is a federal legal framework that provides these workers a means to seek compensatory damages after they’ve been injured on the job. To learn more about the LHWCA, please contact our maritime accident lawyers for a free case evaluation.

What is the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act?

Maritime workers who work on offshore platforms, such as oil rigs and other fixed structures, could receive benefits under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. This Act applies to longshoremen, ship repairers and builders, dockmen, harbor workers, and other employees who work on oil rigs and similar platforms.

Some of the benefits available to injured maritime workers under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act include the following:

• Medical coverage
• Disability benefits
• Physical rehabilitation
• Retraining and vocational rehabilitation benefits
• And death benefits

To learn more about how the Act may apply to your case, contact our maritime attorneys to request a free, no-obligation case evaluation today.

What Types of Financial Compensation Could Be Awarded to Your Lafayette Maritime Injury Claim?

Your Lafayette maritime injury lawyer can help you pursue compensation for your injuries and financial losses following your offshore accident. This compensation could take the form of both economic and non-economic damages.

Economic damages include compensation for the following:

• Funeral and burial expenses in the event of a fatal accident
• Lost wages and lost income-earning capacity
• Past medical bills and future medical expenses
• Physical therapy expenses
• Property damage

Non-economic damages may include the following:

• Disability, disfigurement, and dismemberment
• Emotional distress
• Loss of quality of life
• Lost companionship
• Mental anguish
• Pain and suffering
• Wrongful death

Schedule a Free Consultation with Our Louisiana Maritime Injury Lawyers to Discuss Your Case Today

Not only do offshore workers face unique threats, but they also face unique complications in personal injury law. Standard workers’ compensation benefits may not apply to you and your maritime accident case. In pursuit of financial recovery, it is highly recommended that you retain professional legal representation from an experienced Lafayette maritime injury attorney.

Landgrave Garcia Injury Attorneys has years of experience representing clients in all sorts of personal injury cases, including the complexities of maritime injury law cases. We would be proud to represent our legal rights in pursuit of justice and financial compensation following an unfortunate maritime accident. To learn more about our highly compassionate and personally tailored legal services, please contact our Lafayette, LA law office to schedule your free evaluation today. You may call us at 337-242-7604.