Houston Dock Worker Injury Lawyer

Dockyards can be a deceptively dangerous place to work, even if every person acts responsibly and follows safety regulations while on the job. Unfortunately, there are more examples every year of someone on a commercial dock acting irresponsibly and causing severe harm to themselves or others around them. If you are not familiar with your legal rights and how to enforce them, you may have serious trouble recovering financially after an incident like this.

If you need help getting paid fairly for your damages following a work-related injury on or around a dock, you should reach out to a Houston dock worker injury lawyer as soon as possible. You deserve compensation after being hurt on the job. Between procedural obstacles and opposition from insurance providers, assistance from a capable maritime injury attorney will be essential to maximizing the monetary compensation you receive.

Common Causes of Dock Worker Accidents

Working on an active commercial dock exposes workers to all kinds of hazards. For example, improper storage of flammable materials can lead to massive fires and serious burn injuries. But many injuries suffered by dock workers stem from much more mundane accidents like slips and falls, long-term exposure to hazardous chemicals, impacts from falling objects, or simply falling into the water and potentially drowning.

Ultimately, what matters when it comes to recovering damages for a dock worker injury in Houston is not precisely how the injury occurred. Instead, it is more important to know whether the injured worker can establish that someone else holds liability for specific losses they sustained from that accident. This process can go a few different ways depending on exactly what job duties a specific dock worker has.

Options for Recovering After a Dock Work Injury

Most dock workers who get hurt on the job and want to recover for their losses will need to seek help under the Longshore Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act. As the name suggests, this federal legislation effectively serves as a workers’ compensation equivalent specifically for people who perform maritime work on, near, or around the water. People who primarily perform office or administrative work are not covered under this legislation.

A successful LHWCA claimant can seek compensation for all their reasonable medical expenses, related transportation and rehabilitation costs, and disability benefits. These benefits are generally equal to two-thirds their pre-injury average weekly wage for every week they spend unable to work. However, while workers generally do not need to prove anyone specifically at fault for their injuries in order to recover in this way, they cannot use the LHWCA claim for other losses like pain and suffering.

Conversely, that kind of recovery may be possible for people injured in dock accidents who spend a significant amount of time working aboard vessels in navigable waters and are therefore covered by the Jones Act instead. A dock worker accident lawyer in Houston could provide more specific information about recovery options during a confidential consultation.

Speak with a Houston Dock Worker Injury Attorney Today

Injuries sustained during work on a maritime industry dock can have long-lasting physical, financial, and personal repercussions. Without help from a seasoned legal professional, even the extensive rights afforded to you under federal law may be difficult to properly enforce. You should not attempt to handle it on your own.

A Houston dock worker injury lawyer could discuss filing options and potential paths forward over the course of a private initial meeting. Schedule yours by calling Schechter Shaffer & Harris, LLC today.