Maritime Injuries in Louisiana
Louisiana has over 320,000 registered recreational boats and thousands of commercial boats of all kinds. Many thousands more, recreational or commercial and registered in other states or countries, dock on Louisiana’s coasts each year. Such endless marine activity makes accidents—trivial, serious, and deadly—inevitable. People injured in small boating accidents, while employed on huge ocean-going ships, or while unloading international cargo ships count on Louisiana maritime injury lawyers to help them receive just compensation for their injuries and for their pain and suffering.
Common causes of maritime injury in Louisiana
Maritime injuries can occur during transportation by water on the high seas, in bays, harbors, lakes, rivers, and any navigable waterway, as well as while working on offshore drilling platforms.
Recreational boating
Unbeknownst to most recreational boaters, maritime law subjects them to the same requirements and obligations as more heavily-regulated commercial vehicles. For recreational boaters, frequent causes of injury include:
- Operator inattention, leading to collision or drowning
- Careless or reckless behavior on the part of the boat operator, the passengers, or water-skiers
- Inadequate maintenance of the boat
Commercial vessels
For those working on the high seas or other commercial vessels, unseaworthiness—almost any injury-causing condition that the vessel owner or operator could have corrected or avoided—causes many injuries. For example:
- Worn non-slip surfacing, or surfaces that were never non-slip to begin with
- Defective or worn gear of any kind
- An unfit crew, or a crew too small to perform all of the tasks assigned to it
- Improper loading of cargo
- Improper stowage of cargo
However, not only injuries onboard a commercial vessel may qualify as maritime injuries covered by maritime law. Other examples of Louisiana maritime injury include:
- Slips and falls on improperly maintained docking and boarding areas
- Offshore drilling platform fires and explosions
- Injuries to commercial divers
- Failure to provide adequate training
- Failure to control ship motion in high seas
Maritime Lawyers in Louisiana can help you
If you were injured on a boat, ship, or any vessel of any sort, you should consult with a maritime injury lawyer. In Louisiana, the Gaar Law Firm offers some of the best representation available to victims of maritime injuries. We have combined over 40 years experience, and a history of success for our clients. Contact us today to set up a free consultation and start discussing your injury, your rights, and what sort of compensation you deserve.
