Securing Compensation for Those Injured

I Have Been Injured. What Do I Do?

In answering this question, we will confine ourselves to what you should do to help protect your legal rights.

We usually recommend you not even begin negotiating settlement of your claims with anyone until you have had an opportunity to speak with a qualified maritime attorney. Insurance companies and employers like the quick and cheap settlement and we are aware of crew members who have signed away huge claims for peanuts because they simply did not know their claims had such value.

Where can I file my lawsuit for my at sea injury?

The place of lawsuit depends on many factors, including where you were when you were hired for your voyage or work, where the company is located that hired you, where the vessel is when you sue. Where to sue is oftentimes a difficult and important decision. The reality is that some courts tend to treat at sea injuries more favorably than others and as your lawyers, it will be our job in each case to examine and analyze where we can sue AND where among those choices is the best place for you to pursue your maritime injury lawsuit.

Should I try to settle my at sea injury claim before bringing in a maritime personal injury attorney?

No, because the deck is stacked against you. Whether it is apparent or not, your employer is almost certainly working with a full team of legal and insurance experts in an effort to minimize the amount paid to you. You deserve similar support.

What Are My Legal Rights?

1. If you were injured on or near water, you may have a Jones Act Claim.

The Jones Act tends to be very favorable to injured parties and, if you can do so, you want to be sure to bring claims under that act. To do this, you must be certain to retain experienced maritime legal counsel, familiar with possible legal and factual arguments to bring you within the scope of the Jones Act.

2. You have the right to an attorney.

Your employer or the vessel owner will no doubt be using competent maritime counsel to resolve your claim. To put you on equal footing, you should be doing the same. You have every right to an attorney and it is usually the wise move to retain one as soon as possible after your injury. Your attorney can act for you in dealing with your employer or the vessel owner, along with any involved insurance companies and insurance agents and adjusters.

Do I Have a Good Case? What is My Case Worth?

The best way for us to answer this question is to learn enough about your case so as to be able to decide. One phone call is usually enough to tell us whether your case is strong enough for us to pursue. It it is, we usually follow up that call with a no-obligation, no cost, review of your medical records and your vessel contract, along with other potentially relevant documents. The reality though is that each case is different and no lawyer can precisely predict the value of a particular case, particularly at its early stages. However, due to our extensive experience in crew injury cases, we typically are able to provide an estimated value range for each case after we have gained familiarity with it.