Leesville Maritime Accident Lawyer

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Leesville Maritime Accident Attorney

When a devastating or even deadly injury takes place on the water, it is crucial to have an experienced and knowledgeable Leesville maritime accident lawyer on your side. While around 120 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, many individuals who call Leesville home work various jobs on the water. These jobs can include commercial fishermen, dock work, offshore oil rig work, and employment on tugboats, barges, or other water vessels.

If you have suffered an injury on the water, you may be able to pursue damages if your employer’s negligence is to blame for the harm you have sustained. At Cox Law Firm, we are here to help you recover these financial damages.

Leesville Maritime Accident Lawyer

You Can Trust Cox Law Firm

Since 1969, the team at Cox Law Firm has been fighting for the rights of those harmed in maritime accidents across Louisiana. Our state has a longstanding history with work on the water, and we know just how dangerous these jobs can be.

Our attorneys have won millions of dollars for our clients and have been rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell®, the highest rating an attorney can be awarded for their legal service and ethics. We are here to serve you.

Common Types of Maritime Accidents

Maritime accidents are, unfortunately, all too common an occurrence, and anyone aboard a water vessel is at risk. At Cox Law Firm, we are passionate about helping victims recover the compensation they deserve. While anyone aboard a vessel in navigable waters can be at risk of injury, commercial fishermen are 40 times more likely to die in a work-related accident than any other maritime industry.

Many individuals who call Leesville home are employed on a wide range of different water vessels. These individuals can suffer a variety of incidents that could result in devastating injuries or even death, including:

  • Any accidents involving defective products aboard a barge, rig, or vessel on any navigable waters, including the Gulf of Mexico
  • Any exposure to toxic chemicals or substances while on board a vessel or while working offshore, such as when employed on an oil rig
  • An explosion taking place on an offshore oil rig
  • An accident involving the sinking of a vessel due to issues like a lack of watertight doors, navigation mistakes, or failing to follow warnings of severe weather
  • Accidents that take place due to the poor or inadequate training of workers
  • Accidents taking place on a dock or a pier, which can include cranes or other pieces of heavy machinery, fires and explosions, electrocutions, and winch accidents
  • Accidents that take place on unseaworthy vessels, including near-drowning or drowning accidents because of unprepared or negligently maintained damage to the vessel’s hull

If you have suffered in any of these accidents or a similar accident, the team at Cox Law Firm is here for you. We can review the facts of your accident and help you potentially recover compensation under the Jones Act.

What You Should Do Following a Maritime Accident

When you suffer an injury in a maritime accident, there are certain legal challenges you can face. Following a maritime accident, the steps you take will make a huge difference when it comes to your ability to achieve fair and reasonable compensation. These steps include:

  • Seek medical attention. It is vital that you visit a doctor as soon as you can following your accident, even if you feel fine, as you may be suffering from invisible injuries. Keep track of all medical bills, reports, and prescriptions.
  • Report the accident. You will then want to report the accident to your supervisor or employer and explain what exactly happened. Write down the time, the location, and the condition under which the accident took place.
  • Collect evidence. You should take photos of any visible injuries, as well as any equipment that was involved, and the site of the accident. You also should keep a daily diary detailing your pain levels and how your injuries are affecting your daily life and work.
  • Consult an attorney. Do not sign any papers from your employer or their insurance company until you have spoken with a maritime accident attorney.

FAQs

What Is the Jones Act?

The Jones Act is a legal act that ensures that employees can seek compensation should they sustain on-the-job or job-related injuries while on a vessel. However, in order to be eligible to recover this compensation, you must be able to demonstrate that your employer acted in a negligent manner and that this negligence was the direct cause of your injury.

What Forms of Compensation Can I Recover in a Maritime Accident?

There are several forms of compensation you may be able to recover in a maritime accident, depending on the nature and severity of your injuries. These forms of compensation include all past and future medical expenses related to your accident or injury, any lost income or loss of earning capacity, pain and suffering, loss of the enjoyment of life, and wrongful death benefits.

What Are the Most Dangerous Jobs at Sea?

There are over 400,000 workers in the United States maritime industry. The most injured maritime workers include deckhands, tankermen, oilers, navy divers, and individuals who work in welding on pipeline barges, engineers, pilots, and drilling crew members who work aboard semisubmersibles and jack-ups. If you work in any of these fields and suffer a maritime accident, you are likely entitled to compensation.

What Are the Most Common Injuries in a Maritime Accident?

In a maritime accident, some of the most common injuries can include broken bones, fractures, back and neck injuries, spinal fusion, injuries to the head, possibly resulting in concussions, brain trauma, or paralysis, spinal cord injuries, and the loss of a limb, either on the job or surgically required for necessary treatment.

Hire a Maritime Accident Lawyer Today

If you or a loved one has suffered a workplace injury on a job offshore, aboard a sea vessel, or in any way while on navigable waters, you may be entitled to seek monetary compensation and justice alike. Contact the offices of Cox Law Firm today to schedule a free consultation and learn more regarding how you can benefit from hiring a maritime accident lawyer in Leesville and the surrounding area.

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