Waters in the coastal regions of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida have long provided workers with all sorts of opportunities to earn a living. Consult with our Longshoreman/Jones Act injury attorneys today for a free consultation.
What is the Longshoreman/Jones Act?
The Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act (LHWCA) protects these workers by guaranteeing compensation and medical care for employees who become disabled from injuries that may occur when loading, unloading, repairing or building a seafaring vessel, or in other circumstances. The law also guarantees benefits to survivors when these work-related injuries cause an employee’s death. The Jones Act protects the seamen and women who risk their health and lives at sea and in other waters by guaranteeing compensation for injuries that result in physical and mental pain and suffering, bodily disfigurement, and wrongful death. The law may also cover lost wages and benefits, depending upon the facts of a given case.
Many LHWCA claims depend upon medical records created whenever an injured worker visits the doctor for any kind of diagnostic testing or treatment. Employers’ insurance carriers may direct an injured worker to see one of its preferred care providers. But under this law, longshoremen, dockworkers, and shipyard workers have a right to choose their own provider, which makes LHWCA benefits different from standard worker’s compensation insurance. If an injured worker follows the company’s advice to “just go see our doctor,” they may put their chances at winning fair compensation at risk. They may even ask an injured employee to sign a company document that says somewhere in the fine print that the employee agrees to use the insurance company’s preferred care provider.
Procedural rules governing lawsuits in these areas can change depending upon whether a vessel was at sea or at port at the time a worker sustains an injury, or whether the worker was on land or at sea. The Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act, Jones Act, General Maritime Law, and Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act all provide different types of remedies to injured parties. Only experienced maritime injury attorneys will be able to fully investigate the facts surrounding a worker’s injury and then litigate a claim successfully.
Contact Our Longshoreman/Jones Act Injury Attorneys Today
Paul W. Painter III and W. Andrew Bowen have years of experience litigating claims on behalf of longshoremen, dockworkers, shipyard workers, and seamen and women, regardless of whether the injury occurred on land, at sea, or on other waters. We handle cases involving injuries occurring on vessels of all types and sizes, including tug boats, barges, crew boats, commercial SCUBA or deep-sea fishing boats, or while using equipment ranging from personnel baskets to cranes, or on fixed or semi-submersible platforms, jack-up rigs, offshore oil rigs, or offshore pipelines.
We always make ourselves available to our clients to answer questions and provide timely updates related to cases. Bowen Painter Injury Lawyers fight for clients’ rights and work hard to find all insurance to ensure maximum compensation. Our clients and their families have received millions of dollars in compensation for their offshore injuries because of our expertise and our drive to win for them.
IMPORTANT: Even if you were injured on the job you may not be limited to recovering only from worker’s compensation. We specialize in investigating on-the-job injuries to determine whether there are wrongdoers we can hold responsible for your injuries so you can be fully compensated for your loss. DO NOT LET YOUR EMPLOYER TELL YOU THAT YOU MUST SEE THEIR DOCTOR, DO NOT SIGN ANY AGREEMENTS OR SETTLEMENTS, AND DO NOT LET YOUR EMPLOYER TELL YOU THAT YOU ARE LIMITED TO A WORKER’S COMPENSATION RECOVERY WITHOUT TALKING TO US.
