Many workers who live in or near San Antonio are employed in the maritime industry. Jobs on the docks, at sea, or on a drilling platform are some of the most dangerous jobs in the country. Serious injuries and death are always a risk for these workers.
The federal government has developed special programs to protect maritime workers, but they can be difficult to navigate. When you are trying to obtain the benefits you are entitled to receive, contact the Ramji Law Group P.C.
Our San Antonio maritime injury lawyers have experience obtaining compensation for injured people. We understand the law and the industry, and our personal injury attorneys are committed to ensuring you receive everything you deserve.
Working on ships, docks, and offshore platforms is well-paid but dangerous. It is also physically demanding work that is impossible to do safely if you are sick or injured.
The San Antonio attorneys at Ramji Law Group P.C. represent maritime workers who suffer significant injuries while on duty that cause them to miss time at work. Some of the injuries that maritime workers might suffer include:
Workers on ships and offshore platforms also might claim compensation resulting from infectious diseases, unsafe food, and violence inflicted by colleagues.
The specific benefits you receive depend on the federal law that applies to you. All maritime workers can expect to receive free medical care, a partial wage, and disability payments if an injury has a permanent impact.
Several federal laws provide assistance to people who work on the docks or go to sea and sustain work-related injuries. The specifics depend on the nature of your job. A maritime injury attorney in San Antonio can help you claim the benefits you are entitled to receive and explain any legal options available to you.
If you spend at least 30 percent of your working time on a vessel at sea, you are a seaman under the Jones Act, regardless of your gender. The Jones Act provides maintenance and cure for seamen who were injured on the job. Maintenance is a portion of your wages that you will receive while you are unable to work because of the injury. Cure is the term for medical treatment of the injury until you reach the point of maximum medical improvement (MMI).
46 United States Code § 30104 allows a seaman to sue the employer for not maintaining a seaworthy ship. Any unsafe condition that the ship’s owner or your employer could have prevented with reasonable care could render a vessel unseaworthy. When an attorney can prove your vessel was unseaworthy, you can receive additional compensation. You are entitled to full reimbursement of lost wages and payment for your pain, suffering, and other non-economic losses.
If you work on the docks or in marine transportation onshore, the Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act (LHWCA) likely covers your work-related injuries. Like the Jones Act, the LHWCA provides a partial wage and free medical care to workers injured on the job.
When an injury prevents a covered worker from resuming their former job, the LHWCA provides disability benefits. The family of a worker killed on the job due to a work-related injury or condition receives a death benefit.
The Outer Continental Shelf Land Act (OCSLA) provides benefits for work-related injuries if you work on a fixed or floating platform like an oil rig more than three miles off the coast. The OCSLA provides benefits similar to the LHWCA for rig and platform workers who sustain injuries or develop work-related medical conditions.
If you work in the maritime industry, federal law protects you when you get injured at work. However, accessing your benefits can be difficult, and sometimes, filing a lawsuit is necessary to get all the compensation you deserve.
Contact a San Antonio maritime injury lawyer at Ramji Law Group P.C., for help with your work-related injury. We are available to talk 24/7. Get started today by calling 210-529-3476.
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