Milwaukee Maritime Lawyers

Milwaukee, WI is a major port city that rests on Lake Michigan, one of the five Great Lakes. A number of locals are employed at the Port of Milwaukee (established 1835), which processes several million tons of cargo every year. This can be a lucrative line of work—but also a dangerous one. Workers sometimes get seriously hurt or even killed in maritime and offshore accidents. The causes of these incidents are many: malfunctioning equipment, slick walking surfaces, falling objects, fires, severe weather, and more.

Injured seamen have multiple options when it comes to collecting compensation from their employer. To maximize your chances of success, however, you need an experienced maritime accident lawyer who understands Jones Act claims and related aspects of the law. The team of nationally based maritime lawyers at Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P., represents clients from all over the country, including the Milwaukee, WI area. Contact us when you need a longshoremen attorney who can fight for you.

Maritime Workplace Hazards

Unfortunately, there are a lot of ways to get injured in a maritime environment. Some of the more common cases that our maritime injury lawyers have encountered include the following:

• Spinal cord injuries
• Amputation (hands, feet, etc.)
• Compartment Syndrome
• Lung disorders
• Brain damage
• Skin burns
• Hypothermia & frostbite

If you have suffered any injury while performing your duties, please call our admiralty lawyers immediately. You may be eligible for substantial monetary compensation.

How to Obtain Maintenance and Cure

What kinds of compensation are available to injured seamen? The most basic kind is called maintenance and cure, which is paid out weekly or biweekly. It is typically not a large sum of money, but it is intended to cover both living expenses during recovery (maintenance) and medical expenses associated with the injury or illness (cure).

Maintenance and cure is supposed to be paid out automatically—it does not matter whether the seaman bears any responsibility for the accident. In practice, it’s sometimes difficult to obtain the full amount that is owed. When that happens, you should contact a maritime accident lawyer. As one of the most respected maritime law firms in the country, we serve clients from all over the U.S., including Milwaukee, WI.

Additional Maritime Compensation

Workers who have been injured or stricken due to the negligence of a coworker or employer can collect further monetary compensation. The Jones Act and other laws require maritime employers to ensure that workers have a safe environment to perform their duties. At Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P., our maritime lawyers have dealt with all kinds of injury cases over the years.