Lafayette Maritime Lawyers

As one of the Gulf States, Louisiana is home to a large number of maritime personnel who are employed as drillers, mechanics, boatswains, deckhands, and many other lines of work. Often, they toil under dangerous conditions—and, as a result, serious injuries are hardly uncommon in this industry. But workers who have been injured do not need to suffer in silence.

If you have been hurt while employed as a maritime worker, you may be eligible for a substantial payout. To increase your chances of success, however, you need a maritime accident lawyer who fully understands the law as it applies to these cases. You can find a qualified longshoremen attorney at Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P., one of the leading maritime law firms in the U.S. We handle cases involving Jones Act claims and other areas of the law pertaining to maritime and offshore accidents. Our nationwide maritime injury lawyers serve clients who live in Lafayette, LA as well as the rest of the country.

Workplace Dangers in the Maritime Industry

Modern-day maritime workers have to deal with many threats to their safety, ranging from heavy cargo to harsh weather conditions. The list of injuries reported by seamen is quite extensive, and over the years our maritime lawyers have seen it all. Injury cases we have represented in the past include one or more of the following elements:

• Amputation of limbs
• Spinal cord injuries
• Compartment Syndrome
• Pleural (lung) disorders
• Third-degree skin burns
• Brain damage
• Hypothermia and frostbite

This is not a complete list of maritime injuries. No matter what kind of injury you have sustained, our maritime accident lawyers are interested in hearing from you.

What Is Maintenance and Cure?

Traditional maritime law provides injured workers with an elementary form of financial compensation that is known as maintenance and cure, which is paid on a biweekly or weekly schedule. You can qualify for this compensation even if you are to blame for the accident that led to the injury. It is intended to give the employee compensation for basic living expenses (maintenance) and necessary medical-related expenses (cure).

Some employers attempt to underpay maintenance and cure, or deny it altogether. When that happens, you should reach out to a maritime accident lawyer who can help. Our nationally based Jones Act attorneys handle maintenance and cure claims as well as all other aspects of maritime personal injury law. We represent clients nationwide, including the Lafayette, LA area.

Other Forms of Maritime Compensation

At Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P., our Jones Act lawyers have over 145 years’ combined trial experience, encompassing all areas of maritime injury law.