Longshoremen and harbor workers work long hours, often in grueling conditions. There are so many potential hazards at their places of work that injuries happen quite frequently. In Louisiana, injured maritime workers may seek compensation for their losses through legal means.
Maritime workers often suffer injuries due to equipment failure or environmentally related illnesses. Commonly seen injuries often result from slip-and-fall accidents, excessive heavy lifting, falls and accidents involving heavy machinery. Fatalities in this line of work are also fairly common. Deaths occur following electrocutions, fires, explosions, drowning and equipment-related accidents — among other events.
A number of injuries and deaths can be prevented with proper training, proper equipment maintenance, employee awareness and employer concern. Still, in this high-stress, labor-intensive field, injuries are bound to happen. When they do, victims or their surviving family members may seek relief through the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act. To learn more about this and other laws in place to protect maritime workers, please visit our firm’s website.
The injuries suffered in this line of work can have devastating effects on the employees and their families. The physical, financial and emotional losses are not anything these individuals should have to bear alone. Workers’ compensation benefits are in place to provide relief to maritime workers who have suffered injuries on the job or to their family members in the event of their deaths. Accessing these benefits is not as easy as it should be, though. If you think you have a maritime claim, an experienced Louisiana-based attorney can help you seek maximum relief for your losses.