When you head out to work in an offshore field or attend to any maritime activities, the last thing you expect is to incur damages or injuries on the job. Unfortunately, it’s common to be involved in maritime accidents that can damage your vessel or lead to injuries due to the nature of marine activities.
Most accidents in this field are often dangerous and catastrophic. And the legal process for recovering damages or getting compensated for injuries is also complicated and more difficult than in typical workplace accidents. Therefore, to know how you can pursue lawsuits involving maritime accidents, the first thing to do is understand the work of a maritime attorney. This way, you better understand the legal language involved with marine activities, such as the jones act, which refers to various federal statutes that govern maritime activities, including maritime accidents, and how they can be compensated.
Defining a Maritime Lawyer and What They Do
A maritime lawyer is an attorney who deals with and specializes in marine activities and accidents that cause injuries to workers and damage to boats and other vessels. As a maritime worker, you require the services of a maritime lawyer to help you seek compensation for injuries you incur in the events of accidents at work or payments for damages your water vessel gets. This compensation can be for accidents that occur in recreational or commercial boating activities.
The services your maritime lawyer offers include filing for lawsuits on your behalf, drafting documents regarding the injuries and damages you incur, and negotiating agreements with insurance companies covering your water vessels.
At the same time, a maritime lawyer is also involved in handling complaints about injuries or diseases caused by various vessels or sea crafts. Further, they are interested in cases that include companies or individuals dumping harmful waste into the water, especially in the sea or elsewhere where the water is used for maritime activities.
The Types of Accidents Maritime Lawyers Deal With
Maritime activities encompass many occupations. They involve the work of offshore oil rig workers, seamen boat builders, and even refinery workers. But for many people, drowning is the first thing they think about when maritime accidents are mentioned.
And although drowning is a major risk in maritime activities, it is not the only accident you will face as a marine worker.
Other accidents you risk facing as a maritime worker include head injuries, broken bones, and amputations. These injuries can occur instantly or develop over time. For example, you could suffer shoulder injuries by attending to maritime activities repetitively over a long time.
As a result, maritime injuries that occur after a long time tend to impact your physical and mental well-being severely. Because of this, you require the help of a maritime attorney to ensure your working conditions are always safe and secure.
At the same time, the attorney will also help you seek compensation for injuries and damages for some of the common maritime accidents, such as the following.
Pier and Dock Accidents
Maritime ports could not exist or offer exemplary services without the presence of piers and docks. These vessels are where essential activities related to marine work take place. They are involved in moving people and other sea vessels.
But still, piers and docks are where most maritime accidents happen, including accidents like electrocution, fires and explosions, and winch accidents. Therefore, a maritime attorney will help you file a lawsuit and pursue compensation.
Maritime Accidents That Occur Due to Inadequate Training
Accidents resulting from insufficient training happen when you focus on your maritime activities’ short-term and deadline-oriented goals while overlooking the need to train for every task you attend to properly.
For example, when you’re inadequately trained, you can suffer accidents you could have otherwise avoided, such as those that occur due to vessel malfunctions or weather changes experienced maritime workers can identify before they worsen. This way, a maritime lawyer will file a claim against your employer for not adequately training you as expected.
Or, if you’re a trained maritime worker who suffers accidents caused by poorly trained workers, then a maritime lawyer will help you file for personal claim injuries or damages that result from the defendant’s negligence and recklessness in marine activities.
So, regardless of your knowledge about maritime activities, a maritime lawyer is essential because they will help you file lawsuits and seek compensation on your behalf in severe or less serious accidents. This way, you could be at home healing or continue with your work as the attorney handles your case.