Baton Rouge Maritime Accident Lawyer
If you’ve been injured while working off the coast of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, contact Palmintier Law Group. You have rights under federal maritime laws, but they can be difficult to assert. Our Baton Rouge maritime accident lawyers are here to help you navigate this trying time and fight for the compensation you deserve.
Since 1975, injured seamen and maritime workers in Baton Rouge have trusted Palmintier Law Group after life-changing accidents. As determined advocates for our clients with over 80 years of combined experience, we’ve secured case results totaling more than $1 billion.
Put your best foot forward by trusting our award-winning legal team to fight for you. Contact our law office in Baton Rouge, LA, today at (225) 344 3735. Your first consultation is absolutely free.
How Palmintier Law Group Can Help After a Maritime Accident in Baton Rouge, LA
When you suffer an injury at sea, it can turn your world upside-down You might be unable to return to work for a period of time, which can impose significant financial stress on your life. Fortunately, you have rights as a maritime worker, including opportunities to seek compensation to help with medical bills, a loss of income, disability, and more.
Don’t stress about what to do or where to turn for help. Let our Baton Rouge personal injury lawyers take the lead and help you work toward a meaningful financial recovery. You take the time needed to get back on your feet.
When you choose the Palmintier Law Group, you put respected, AV-Preeminent Louisiana trial attorneys in your corner. Insurance companies, employers, and corporations in Baton Rouge take note when we’re hired. It forces them to take cases more seriously and, ultimately, tends to press them into offering higher settlements to our clients.
Our team will handle all aspects of your maritime accident claim from start to finish:
- Identify the specific maritime laws under which you are protected
- Investigate your accident and gather evidence needed to build a compelling claim
- Enlist expert witnesses to offer testimony in support of your pursuit of compensation
- Ensure your claim satisfies procedural requirements as established by state and/or federal law
- Represent you during negotiations, hearings, conferences, appeals, and/or at trial
We represent injured maritime workers in Baton Rouge on a contingency fee basis. You’ll only pay for our help if we win you compensation.
Contact our law office in Baton Rouge to learn more about working with our award-winning legal team. We’re always here to help you schedule a free consultation.
What Laws Might Protect Me If I’ve Been Injured on the Water Near Baton Rouge?
Maritime law, or admiralty law, governs shipping and navigation on the high seas. This includes extending protections to workers in the maritime industry.
If you’re injured on a navigable vessel on the open waters or while working in furtherance of a navigable vessel (e.g., as a dock worker), you may have rights under one or more federal maritime laws, including the:
- Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act
- Death on the High Seas Act
- Jones Act
- Longshoremen & Harbor Workers Compensation Act
- Limitation of Liability Act of 1851
As a worker, you may also have the right to pursue money through a personal injury lawsuit or claim for workers’ compensation benefits under Louisiana state law.
It can be difficult to understand what laws might apply to your specific situation. Our maritime accident attorneys in Baton Rouge have extensive experience helping injured offshore workers explore their rights and successfully obtain monetary awards. Trust us to help you obtain the compensation you need, too.
We Handle All Types of Maritime Accident Cases
If you work offshore or in furtherance of a navigable vessel, Palmintier Law Group can help you seek compensation when you’re hurt on the job.
Our maritime accident attorneys in Baton Rouge handle claims involving:
- Barge accidents
- Commercial fishing accidents
- Shrimp boat accidents
- Cargo ship accidents
- Offshore drilling rig accidents
- Marine crane accidents
- Oil tanker accidents
- Ferry accidents
- Cruise ship accidents
- Dock or pier accidents
- Jack-up rig accidents
Contact our Baton Rouge law office to schedule a time to discuss the specific details of your maritime injury case. We will listen to your story, offer some preliminary information about your rights, and help you figure out the best path forward.
What Compensation Can I Recover With a Maritime Injury Claim?
It depends on what type of claim you file. Difference compensation is available under different state and federal laws.
The Jones Act
The Jones Act requires employers to maintain their vessels in seaworthy condition. If a seaman is injured because of an owner is negligent in the maintenance of a ship, they can seek maintenance and cure benefits.
Maintenance covers living expenses during the worker’s recovery, while cure covers medical treatment. Benefits are payable until a seamen reaches maximum medical improvement or can return to work.
The Longshoremen & Harbor Workers Compensation Act (LHWCA)
While the Jones Act restricts benefits to seamen, the Longshoremen & Harbor Workers Compensation Act covers a wider range of offshore workers.
Under the LHWCA, benefits are payable to help injured workers deal with medical benefits, temporary disability, permanent disability, and vocational training.
Civil Maritime Accident Lawsuit Under Louisiana State Law
While federal maritime laws generally limit benefits to economic damages, Louisiana can offer injured maritime workers an opportunity to seek non-economic damages, as well.
If you’re able to file a civil personal injury lawsuit under Lousiana state law, you can potentially get compensation for:
- Current and future medical bills
- Lost wages
- Disability
- Diminished earning capacity
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Nursing care
- Rehabilitation
- Funeral expenses
- Chronic physical pain
- Disfigurement
- Loss of consortium
- Reduced quality of life
- Mental anguish
- Pain and suffering
- Embarrassment
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Puntive damages – to punish a defendant for their intentional or grossly negligent conduct – can also potentially be awarded in a civil maritime accident lawsuit in Louisiana.
What Can Cause a Maritime Accident?
Seamen, shipbuilders, dock workers, longshoremen, fishermen, and other maritime workers can get seriously injured when there’s an accident on board a vessel.
Some of the most common causes of maritime accidents and injuries include:
- Slick or slippery surfaces that cause slips and falls
- Falling overboard
- Unsafe loading or handling of cargo
- Violations of state and/or federal safety regulations
- Collisions with fixed objects or other vessels
- Fires and explosions
- Overexertion
- Working on an unseaworthy vessel
- Grounding
- Defective work equipment
- Drug and alcohol use
- Failing to provide/use appropriate safety equipment
Knowing why a maritime accident happens can be important as you pursue compensation through a legal claim. Our Baton Rouge maritime accident attorneys will thoroughly investigate your case to uncover precisely how and why you were injured. This can help us identify your potential legal options for recovery and work to ensure that you’re able to maximize your recovery.
How Long Will I Have To File a Maritime Accident Claim in Lousiana?
The statute of limitations will vary, depending on what law you’re seeking benefits under.
- Louisiana state law: one year from the date of injury or wrongful death
- The Jones Act: three years from the date of injury
- LHWCA: one year from the date of injury
- Death on the High Seas Act: three years from the worker’s death
It’s important to file your claim within the applicable statute of limitations. If you miss the deadline, you forfeit the opportunity to seek benefits and/or damages for your maritime accident injuries. Contact our lawyers as soon as you can for assistance.
Helping You Seek Compensation for All of Your Maritime Accident Injuries
Working on a vessel on navigable waters off the coast of Baton Rouge carries risks. When you get hurt on the job, Palmintier Law Group will be there to help you make things right.
Our maritime accident attorneys in Baton Rouge can help you seek compensation for your:
- Burn injuries
- Broken bones
- Soft tissue injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Nerve damage
- Quadriplegia injuries
- Back injuries
- Neck injuries
- Whiplash injuries
- Concussion injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Eye injuries
- Catastrophic injuries
- Amputation injuries
- Leg injuries
- Wrongful death of a loved one
Report your accident to your employer immediately. Some claims can be barred if you fail to provide notice within a certain timeframe. Then, seek prompt medical attention to ensure your injuries are diagnosed, treated, and documented properly.
Schedule a Free Consultation With an Experienced Baton Rouge Maritime Accident Lawyer
When you get hurt while working on the waters off the coast of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, it’s important to explore your legal options. You may be protected by one or more federal maritime laws and/or Louisiana state law. The compensation available to you can be a lifeline as you fight to get back on your feet. Palmintier Law Group wants to help you navigate this difficult time.
Our Baton Rouge maritime accident lawyers have over 80 years of combined experience handling complex state and federal injury cases. We’ve helped accident victims and families win in excess of $1 billion in damages.
Now, we want to fight for you. Call our Baton Rouge law office today at (225) 344 3735 to schedule a free consultation.