Mississippi Maritime Lawyers

The state of Mississippi has a long and colorful maritime history, which centers on the southern part of the state known as the Gulf Coast region. This area consists of Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Pearl River, Stone, and George counties. In total, there are no fewer than fifteen ports throughout the state, and it goes without saying that maritime workers have an important role in the regional economy.

Maritime employees must contend with numerous perils to their health as part of their everyday duties. Without question, these hardy workers deserve experienced legal representation for their maritime personal injury and Jones Act claims. At Schechter, Shaffer, and Harris, we have a staff of admiralty lawyers who are available to help you with your workplace injury case.

Common Maritime Personal Injury Types

Harsh weather, heavy mobile equipment, toxic chemicals, and other workplace hazards make life difficult for maritime employees. Injuries—from mild to life-threatening—happen quite often in these environments. What follows is an incomplete listing of the types of injuries common in the maritime sector:

• Back & spine injuries
• Burns
• Hypothermia
• Frostbite
• Compartment Syndrome
• Amputation
• Pleural (lung) disorders
• Brain damage

The good news is that our maritime injury attorneys are available to aid injured employees in their efforts to obtain just compensation. Let’s take a look at the various forms of financial remuneration on the books.

Maintenance and Cure: An Overview

The most basic form of personal injury compensation in the maritime sector is known as maintenance and cure. This term actually encompasses two related yet distinct types of compensation. In brief, “maintenance” is the weekly payments allocated to injured seamen during the period of convalescence, while “cure” is recompense for medical bills and expenses. These funds are provided to the seaman irrespective of the degree of fault they may bear for their injury or illness.

If the seaman can demonstrate that the incident in question resulted from another person’s negligence, then it may be possible to obtain additional compensation under one or more personal injury statutes.

Other Kinds of Maritime Personal Injury Compensation

There are a number of acts and statutes dealing with workplace injury in the maritime industry. Each of these laws covers a certain area of maritime employment, defined by the geographic location where the incident occurred and/or the workplace responsibilities of the individual. Our maritime accident lawyers are experienced with a broad spectrum of personal injury cases.