Maritime Accident Lawyers in Lafayette

Helping Injured Maritime Workers Pursue Compensation Following Maritime Accidents

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, in order 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 case in more detail and determine your legal options for pursuing financial recovery, please contact our Lafayette, Louisiana, law office today.

What is Maritime Law?

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, an injured seamen or other offshore workers cannot simply file a workers’ compensation claim to recover benefits. However, general maritime laws do apply and provide protection for 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, it is highly advisable that you 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 Does Our Law Firm 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 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 exclusive 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.
• 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 personal injury attorneys.

What is the Jones Act?

The Jones Act is a federal law that provides protections 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.

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 peers. 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 us for a free case evaluation.

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 an Experienced Maritime Lawyer to Discuss Your Personal Injury 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.