Houma Shipyard Accident Lawyer
Many Houma residents work in the shipping and maritime industries. Shipyard workers face unique challenges in their workplace, including a serious risk for injury. When shipyard workers get hurt on the job, they face additional challenges seeking medical and financial benefits. Louisiana law does not require that shipping and maritime companies provide workers’ compensation.
This means that shipyard workers typically cannot file traditional Louisiana workers’ compensation claims with their employer’s insurance company. However, shipyard workers injured in an accident can still pursue benefits under federal law.
A Houma shipyard accident lawyer can help injured workers get the benefits they need. If you or a loved one were recently hurt in a shipyard accident, contact a seasoned attorney right away. With experienced legal counsel on your side, you can rest assured that you are in capable hands.
Hazardous Conditions at Houma Shipyards
Shipyards big and small are inherently dangerous work environments. Building, maintaining, and repairing ships are risky endeavors and workers have to be careful to avoid injury.
Dealing with dangers and injuries is a fact of life for shipyard workers. One of the biggest dangers shipyard workers face is working with hazardous materials in confined spaces.
Even just painting within the confined space of a ship can produce harmful fumes that workers cannot help but inhale. Welding, a daily task at most shipyards, can also produce noxious fumes that can harm workers.
Why Should Houma Maritime Employers Follow State and Federal Regulations?
Respiratory illnesses and injuries are notoriously common for shipyard and other maritime workers, given the tight spaces in which they work. Companies are supposed to follow state and federal regulations to help minimize these risks.
Too often, however, companies fail to obey regulations and further expose workers to hazardous materials, fumes, and systemic poisoning. When that happens, workers can develop serious or even deadly illnesses or suffer devastating injuries.
Common Injuries for Shipyard Workers
As described above, shipyard workers are especially vulnerable to respiratory issues given the materials they have to use on a regular basis. In addition to these health hazards, all maritime workers face other serious risks at work such as falling objects, dangerous work equipment, and fire. Some common injuries that shipyard workers sustain include:
- Broken or crushed bones
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Concussions
- Whiplash
- Second and third-degree burns
- Internal injuries
- Lacerations
- Severed limbs
- Loss of hearing or sight
- Spine injuries
- Neck injuries
- Pulled or torn muscles
All maritime jobs are physically taxing, and shipyard workers must be physically capable of performing their strenuous jobs.
Unfortunately, when a shipyard worker sustains an injury such as those listed above, they usually cannot perform their essential job duties during the recovery period. This means that injured shipyard workers suffer from a loss of wages in addition to their physical injuries. A Houma shipyard accident attorney can help injured workers attempt to recover lost wages.
What Benefits Are Provided to Injured Shipyard Workers Under LHWCA?
The federal Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) provides benefits to injured shipyard workers. The LHWCA ensures that injured maritime workers receive medical and financial benefits, even though Louisiana state law does not guarantee these rights. To file a claim under LHWCA, injured shipyard workers need to notify their employer of their injury right away. Workers should then contact a shipyard accident attorney in Houma to help with their claim.
Retaining the Services of a Houma Shipyard Accident Attorney
The benefits claim process can be overwhelming, especially during while recovering from an injury. If you were hurt in a shipyard accident, call a Houma shipyard accident lawyer now for help with your claim. A determined personal injury attorney can collect documentation such as hospital bills, photographs of injuries, correspondence regarding your injury between you and your employer, in order to build your shipyard accident case. Contact a lawyer that can help you hold the responsible party accountable.