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    St. Mary Parish Seamen Injury Lawyer

    Serious injuries suffered in open water can be extremely costly, both financially and emotionally. Offshore accidents can be particularly dangerous because they often occur miles away from appropriate medical care.

    Depending on how or where you were injured, different laws and regulations may apply to your case. Under laws like the Jones Act and Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, there may be financial support and legal options available to you.

    A St. Mary Parish seamen injury lawyer can explore your legal options and fight to get you the compensation you are entitled to. Contact a skilled maritime injury lawyer to discuss your situation and your legal rights.

    How The Jones Act Can Protect Workers in St. Mary Parish

    Under 46 U.S.C. 30104, The Jones Act provides a special right of recovery for workers injured due to the negligence of an employer and may permit a seaman to take legal action, as long as the injured worker was part of the crew of a vessel or fleet of vessels operating on a navigable body of water. As a St. Mary Parish attorney can further explain, injured seamen may file a claim against their employer, the shipowner, and other parties whose negligence caused them serious injury.

    It is the responsibility of the worker’s employer to ensure working conditions are safe, they have provided adequate training, and security measures have been put in place. If the seaman’s employer and the vessel owner are two different parties, the injured plaintiff can additionally file what is known as an “unseaworthiness claim” against the vessel owner for monetary compensation.

    Under the Jones Act, the only category of workers that can bring a negligence claim against an employer is a “seaman.” To qualify as a seaman, a worker must:

    • Be assigned to a vessel such as a tugboat, a supply ship, a cargo boat, or any number of other vessels
    • Work on a vessel that is in operation
    • Spend at least 30 percent of their time serving on a vessel in navigable waters

    Limitations of the Jones Act

    Laws under The Jones Act are limited to injured seamen to recover damages. As noted previously, some workers may be excluded by the act’s definition of a seaman. For instance, if the injured victim works on land and not in the service of the vessel or fleet of vessels, they may not be protected because they may not meet the definition of a “seaman.”

    Additionally, while The Jones Act covers injuries stemming from an employer’s negligence, if the seaman was partially responsible for the accident or injuries, their compensation may be reduced by comparative fault. Plaintiffs need to provide adequate proof that their employer’s actions were negligent. If someone has further questions about how the Jones Act may play a role in their seaman injury case, they should speak with a seasoned St. Mary Parish attorney.

    Recoverable Damages in a Seamen Injury Case

    If a seaman is injured as a result of an employer’s negligence, they may recover compensation under the Jones Act, including:

    • Lost wages
    • Future lost wages
    • Mental anguish and suffering
    • Physical pain and suffering
    • Cost of medical treatment and rehabilitation

    A dedicated St. Mary Parish seaman injury attorney can help an injured victim recover the damages they deserve following an accident.

    Contact a St. Mary Parish Seamen Injury Attorney

    Maritime law is known to be a complex body of law, and leveraging it in a given situation to obtain a fair amount of compensation to cover a worker’s injuries can be difficult to undertake alone. An experienced St. Mary Parish seamen injury lawyer who knows how to analyze maritime injury cases can explore all avenues of recovery for your injury accident. Call today to pursue the compensation you deserve.