Do Injured Shipyard Workers Have Legal Rights?

Are you shipyard, harbor, longshore or dockworker? If you are, then you may understand that your job can be dangerous as accidents occur regularly among maritime workers on land in the U.S.

You should know that because of this, you might have protections under the Longshore Act or other laws, if you are injured on the job. Additionally, if your loved one is a shipyard, dock or pier worker who has been killed in an accident, you may also have legal rights when it comes to filing a wrongful death lawsuit.

The best way to determine if you have a claim is to speak to an experienced admiralty lawyer. Onshore maritime law can be incredibly complicated, so you will want to make sure you have someone with knowledge of the various laws that may be applicable to your case. The failure to do so could result in your claim being delayed or denied, or a lack of fair compensation.

Colonna’s Shipyard Worker Killed in Excavator Accident

We bring this subject up because recently one man died after an excavator accident at Colonna’s Shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia.

The incident took place on March 30. Aerial shots of the worksite after the incident showed what appeared to be a concrete piling that had gone through the cab of an excavator. The Virginia Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said an initial investigation showed that the man who died was operating the excavator before concrete crushed its cab.

WAVY-TV reported last fall that OSHA fined the shipyard thousands of dollars after it discovered 12 safety and health violations at the site. An investigation into the accident is ongoing.

Contacting an Attorney about a Shipyard Accident

Again, if you are injured or your loved one has been killed in a shipyard accident, it may prove beneficial to speak to an attorney. You may be able to move forward with a claim, through which, you may be able to obtain assistance that will help you recover.

In the video above, attorney David Anderson discusses the importance of the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act.

Latti & Anderson LLPNationwide Maritime Attorneys

[Latti’s Little Extra: In 2013, the average annual salary for a longshore worker in America was about $64,000.]

Source: http://wavy.com/2015/03/30/1-dead-in-excavator-accident-at-colonnas-shipyard/