Dredge workers play a vital role in the American maritime economy. They typically can be found on dredging vessels excavating material from underwater largely for the purpose of creating or preserving navigable waters. Unfortunately, working on a dredge is a high-risk form of labor that can all too easily lead to serious injury.
If you or a loved one were severely injured while on the job, reach out to a Pascagoula Dredge Worker Injury Lawyer. Dredge workers have specifics protections and rights under federal law. It is vitally important that you seek help from a seasoned maritime injury attorney who has previously represented plaintiffs in maritime injury cases.
A dredge worker who sustains a serious injury while carrying out the responsibilities of their job is not eligible for workers’ compensation. The dredge worker’s best option is to file a claim for compensation under the Jones Act, a federal law allowing injured maritime vessel employees the ability the recover compensation upon a showing of employer negligence.
One of the main differences between workers’ compensation and the Jones Act is the issue of fault. An employee on land who becomes injured can obtain workers’ compensation benefits such as medical bill coverage and wage replacement regardless of who is to blame for the accident.
The Jones Act requires injured maritime employees to establish a link between their injuries and negligent employer conduct. In most personal injury cases, the plaintiff must prove that the defendant’s negligence was primarily to blame for their injury. However, in a Jones Act case, the injured employees only needs to prove that their employer’s negligence played a role in their accident.
The Jones Act is a vitally important law for injured dredge workers. However, compensation can also be sought under the Doctrine of Seaworthiness with the help of a Pascagoula Dredge Worker Injury Lawyer.
The doctrine of seaworthiness imposes an absolute and non-delegable duty on a ship’s owner to provide all who work on it a seaworthy vessel with an appropriately trained crew. Filing a claim under this doctrine may be an option for an injured dredge worker, either together with or separate from a Jones Act claim.
The terms “maintenance” and “cure” refer to two types of compensation that maritime employers are required to provide to hurt workers while they recover. Maintenance essentially covers daily living expenses like rent and groceries, while cure covers all necessary medical expenses such as emergency transport, hospitalization, surgery, and physical rehabilitation. A ship owner’s obligation to provide maintenance and cure generally ends when the dredge worker reaches maximum medical improvement, or MMI.
A knowledgeable Pascagoula Dredge Worker Injury Attorney should promptly be consulted by a hurt dredge worker who is not receiving maintenance or cure, or believes such benefits have wrongfully been terminated.
Working on a dredge can be an exciting and yet also dangerous form of labor. If you are a dredge worker who has been hurt on the job, you have the right to seek compensation for your injuries. Let an experienced attorney help your case.
Contact a Pascagoula Dredge Worker Injury Lawyer to discuss your case, rights, and legal options.