MARITIME INJURY ATTORNEYS IN TYLER

Also known as the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, the Jones Act gives seamen the right to sue their employer when injured at work. It has a “featherweight” or extremely light burden of proof, making it easy for sea workers to get the compensation they deserve. Note that only seamen are covered by the Jones Act. The Jones Act defines a seaman as someone who works on a boat or ship as a crew member or captain. The Act requires employers to give seamen a safe work environment and maintain the vessel in a reasonably safe condition. As such, this law is extremely useful when a seaman sustains life-changing catastrophic injuries, such as:

• Amputation
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
• Paralysis
• Burns
• Spinal cord injuries
• Internal organ damage

If you have suffered such injuries, a Tyler, Texas Jones Act attorney can help you recover medical care, lost wages, and other expenses. The right maritime law attorney will also help you get compensation for the cost of future medical care, the lost or reduced ability to work, and pain and suffering resulting from the accident.

If you’re not a seaman, you can seek workplace injury claims under The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA).

This Act pays benefits to injured maritime workers who have temporary or permanent total or partial disabilities. The benefits cover all necessary and reasonable medical treatments, a portion of lost wages, and travel expenses for receiving those medical treatments. The Act also provides free job retraining if the worker can’t return to maritime employment after their injury.

Additionally, the LHWCA provides compensation for the surviving spouses of maritime workers who died of work-related injuries.

You can also seek compensation through the Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA) if you believe that a loved one’s death was caused by neglect or a wrongful act while at sea. To sue, the accident or incident that caused the death must have occurred beyond three miles from the shore of the U.S. Deaths that happened within three miles of shore are covered by the Jones Act, state law, or general maritime wrongful death provisions. Unlike most wrongful death and survival provisions, DOHSA only provides for pecuniary loss. Pecuniary losses are losses that you can easily calculate, usually by producing a bill or receipt to show that you’ve paid an expense. A typical example would be the loss of financial support from the deceased.