Great Lakes Maritime Lawyers

The Great Lakes is the name given to the five large bodies of water found in the upper Midwest of the U.S. and along the Canadian border. They consist of Lake Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, and Superior. Four of these lakes border the state of Michigan and help form the outline of its distinctive two-peninsula shape. The maritime industry is a thriving business in this region, largely due to the immense amount of trade conducted through the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway, which connects to the Atlantic Ocean.

Maritime personnel in the Great Lakes have an important job—and also a dangerous one. Maritime personal injury cases are far too common. If you are a maritime worker who has been injured while performing your duties, or you have a loved one who fits this description, you should contact the maritime accident lawyers at the Schechter, McElwee, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P. Our Jones Act and admiralty lawyers understand the various aspects of maritime law governing personal injury cases and are well qualified to aid you in your efforts to obtain a settlement or judgment.

Maritime Personal Injury Cases

Anyone involved in this industry is aware that maritime workers have to cope with a lot of on-the-job hazards. Harsh weather conditions make workplace duties difficult. A high wind can send workers overboard, which could result in hypothermia or frostbite—even if help arrives in time. Slip-and-fall accidents are frequent, as walking surfaces often become very slick. Many vessels carry toxic chemicals that can get accidentally released into the immediate environment.

• Head and/or brain injury
• Spinal cord injury
• Compartment Syndrome
• Skin burns
• Amputation
• Lung disorders
• Frostbite and hypothermia

Maritime law provides injured seamen and longshoremen with various options when it comes to obtaining compensation. The most basic type of compensation is known as maintenance and cure.

The Basics of Maintenance and Cure

When we talk about “maintenance and cure,” we’re actually referring to two interrelated types of compensation. The first, maintenance, consists of the weekly payments a seaman receives during the period of convalescence and is intended to support a modest standard of living. The second is cure, which is the compensation provided for medical bills and expenses.

Maintenance and cure are given to injured or ailing maritime employees regardless of the degree of responsibility they bear for their condition. For seamen who were not at fault for their injury or illness, additional compensation may be available.

Other Types of Maritime Injury Compensation

Our maritime injury attorneys are well versed in the full range of personal injury compensation that can be provided to professionals in this industry.