Longshoremen and Dock Workers Need Our Longshore Act Lawyers

Longshoremen And Dock Workers Need Our Longshore Act Lawyers

Compensation for Shipyard Accidents Involving Shore-Side Workers

Longshoremen. Ship-repairers. Ship-builders. Ship Breakers.  Harbor Construction Workers.  Dock workers. Those who work the docks, loading and unloading cargo and container ships, have many names—and just as many ways to sustain injuries or be killed while on the job. Working with heavy loading and unloading equipment, lifting and stowing cargo, and handling hazardous materials all carry the risk of serious personal injury and death to these onshore workers.

If you are a longshoreman or dock worker injured in a shipyard accident, you may be entitled to compensation under the Longshore and Harbor Workers´ Compensation Act (LHWCA), or possibly even state workers' compensation. Under one of these laws, you may be entitled to compensation for injury, lost wages, medical expenses and more.  However, which law can help you recover the most financial compensation to support you during a time in which you cannot work, cannot support your family or may never be able to work again is a question only an experienced Longshore Act lawyer can answer.

How Long Do I Have to File a Longshore Act Claim?

The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act is a federal law that provides payment of compensation, medical care and vocational rehabilitation for on the job injuries that occur on navigable waters or adjoining areas used in the loading, unloading, repairing or building of a vessel.  The LHWCA allows claims up to one year after the injury occurred. Miss that deadline, and you are limiting your ability to collect the money you deserve.

A Longshore Act lawyer at Latti & Anderson LLP can work quickly on your behalf, promptly filing your claim so you do not miss out, or we can make sure the Longshore Act is the best avenue for you – you may have a better claim under a third party or under state workers’ compensation laws or you may even fall under the Jones Act.

Do You Have a Longshore Act Third Party Claim?

If you get hurt at work as the result of the negligence or someone who is not a co-employee and you are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits under the Longshore Act or a state workers’ compensation, you may have the right to bring a third party claim against that person or that person’s employer.

A person who is entitled to workers’ compensation benefits may not file a lawsuit against his employer or his co-workers, but, if someone or some entity that is not a co-worker or employer negligently causes your injury, you may have the right to file a lawsuit against him or his employer.

For example, if you are a longshoreman loading a container onto a truck or chassis, and a truck driver from another company runs into you and injures you, you would be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits under the Longshore Act. However, you would also be entitled to bring a third party lawsuit against that truck driver and his employer for damages including lost earnings, medical bills, pain and suffering.

If you are a longshoreman who is injured at work and think that you might have a third party claim, you must act quickly. Longshoremen only have a short period of time, as little as six months, to ensure that he has exclusive control over his right to bring a third party lawsuit. If you do not take action within this time period, your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance company could actually file the third party claim on your behalf and could decide for how much money to settle the lawsuit.

Maritime Law Experience is Essential After a Shipyard Accident

If you are injured in a dockside or shipyard accident, you need an experienced Longshore Act lawyer who can examine your situation and apply the correct law to ensure that you receive maximum compensation. The maritime work injury attorneys at Latti & Anderson LLP have more than 50 years of experience in successfully securing compensation for onshore maritime workers under the LHWCA. We know the intricacies of maritime law as it applies to dockside workers, and we have the settlements, trials and results to prove it.

If you sustained injuries in a shipyard accident while working at a dry dock, suffered a crane accident while unloading a container ship or were hurt while employed in the shipbuilding industry, you may qualify for compensation under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act. Contact a Longshore Act lawyer at our firm by calling (800) 392-6072 today to learn about your rights under the law. We serve clients nationwide.