Dock workers in and around League City face many daily risks, including negligent ship operators or truck drivers, unsafe practices by subcontractors, and defective equipment or cargo-handling products. These accidents can result in significant injuries, lost time from work, and even permanent disabilities and lost earning capacity.
If you are a dock worker who has been injured in an accident, under federal maritime law you can seek compensation for the harm and expenses you faced. A League City dock worker accident lawyer can help you learn more about your next steps and how you can best pursue compensation for the injuries you suffered.
Under the Jones Act, injured maritime workers, including dock workers, have the right to pursue compensation from their employer in cases where the employer’s negligence led to an accident with injuries. In most cases, injured workers pursue compensation from their employers through workers’ compensation claims. The Jones Act, however, allows injured maritime workers to pursue full compensation from their employers. That means they have the right to seek compensation for their medical bills, wage losses due to their injuries, and pain and suffering.
Under the Jones Act, maritime workers include all those who spend most of their time either working onboard a vessel or contributing to the overall function of the vessel. That includes deckhands, divers mechanics, stewards, and other dock workers who routinely take care of tasks on the ship while the ship is in navigable waters.
While the Jones Act focuses on providing coverage for maritime workers who perform work on the ship while it’s at sea, the Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act (LHWCA) details the workers’ compensation coverage that employers must provide when employees who work on ships, but who do not go out on the water with them, suffer injuries on the job. Land-based dock workers may need to pursue compensation through a workers’ compensation claim as laid out in the LHWCA.
The compensation available to injured dock workers may depend on how the injury occurred as well as the worker’s status.
When a dock worker is injured in an accident in League City that was caused by another party’s negligence, they can seek compensation for the monetary expenses that they incurred as a result. This includes costs associated with medical treatment as well as any wages lost because of those damages. Additionally, injured dock workers can also seek compensation for the psychological impacts of their injury. Labeled under “pain and suffering” or “general damages,” these psychological impacts can include things like loss of the ability to participate in hobbies or activities that they previously enjoyed or loss of enjoyment of life.
Under the LHWCA, injured dock workers have the right to claim workers’ compensation coverage when they suffer injuries in a workplace accident. A League City dock worker accident lawyer can go over the damages an injured dock worker sustained and make sure they understand their rights, including coverage for:
The LHWCA also offers provisions for the families of injured dock workers who die due to their injuries.
The legal options available for injured dock workers in League City depend on the the circumstances of the accident, from who caused the accident to the worker’s status. The claims process can be difficult to understand and even harder to navigate on your own. If you have questions about your injury or your rights, or you need to file a claim, a League City dock worker accident lawyer can help you understand your rights. Let the legal team at Schechter, Shaffer and Harris answer the questions you have about your case. Contact us for a free case evaluation.
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