Longshore & Harbor Workers Injuries

Experienced Houma Longshore & Harbor Workers’ Injury Lawyers Focused on Helping You.

The Houma longshore injury lawyers of Domengeaux Wright Roy & Edwards LLC have represented maritime workers and longshoremen for decades.

Our Louisiana attorneys have recovered millions for injured maritime workers, longshoremen, and harbor workers. We can help you.

Longshoremen and maritime workers are exposed to unique hazards each day on the job. Whether working offshore, on the waterfront, or dockside, workers must deal with dangerous conditions, equipment, cargo, and machinery each day that can cause injuries. If you or a loved one has been injured in a longshore or maritime injury, you need to contact trial attorneys with experience in handling maritime claims.

You do serious work, and it’s important you understand your rights after an injury. Federal maritime law addresses your rights as a worker in the maritime industry. Our team of maritime injury lawyers take your injuries and livelihood seriously, and we will fight to protect your legal rights after you have suffered an injury that puts your future in jeopardy.

We have helped numerous workers with maritime and admiralty law cases in Louisiana obtain the compensation they deserve. Our lawyers and dedicated support staff will help you navigate the injuries, loss of work, and other challenges that come with these complex cases.

Understanding Longshoremen & Harbor Workers’ Claims

If you are a longshoreman or a port worker who has been injured while loading, unloading, repairing, or building a ship, we can help you recover under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA). This is a federal statute that provides injured longshoreman such as crane operators, maritime workers, repairmen, welders, electricians, painters, dock builders, dredge operators, terminal employees, and shipbuilders with medical and compensation benefits.

Many workers based out of Houma working out of the Port of Terrebonne and Port Fourchon qualify for these benefits. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Plans (OWCP) administers the allocation of LHWCA benefits through the Division of Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation (DLHWC).

The Longshore Act specifically provides for the payment of compensation for disability or death of an employee resulting from an injury occurring upon the navigable waters used by an employee in loading, unloading, repairing, dismantling, or building a vessel.

It can also provide payment to surviving family members of workers who have been killed on the job. The law applies to most employees whose work takes place on a pier, wharf, dry dock, shipyard, marine railway, or an adjoining location. The LHWCA is similar to the Jones Act, but it is much broader in its coverage of employees.

The LHWCA Provides the Following Types of Benefits to Injured Workers:

• Payment of medical expenses
• Payment of disability compensation
• Rehabilitation services

The LHWCA mandates that employers provide for all medical care and rehabilitation necessary to treat injuries sustained by a longshoreman during the course of employment. Workers are also entitled to select the doctor of his or her choice for treatment. The employer is also required to pay disability compensation to the injured worker at a rate of two-thirds of the worker’s average weekly wage. Within the LHWCA, some injuries have a uniquely established rate and compensation schedule.

If death is caused by an injury, the LHWCA requires employers to pay funeral expenses and other compensation to the surviving spouse and family. The Houma longshore and maritime lawyers at Domengeaux Wright Roy & Edwards LLC are experienced at helping workers in Louisiana successfully pursue LHWCA claims.

Working in the maritime industry is challenging and comes with many responsibilities. Injuries are possible, but injured workers or surviving loved ones should seek compensation for their sufferings or losses. There are laws designed to protect you, and proper legal representation is an important part of the process.

The LHWCA & Third-Party Lawsuits

Longshoreman and other maritime workers may be able to file a third-party lawsuit if they have been injured due to negligence of someone other than their employer or co-workers. As a longshoreman, you have a right to benefits under the LHWCA whether your injury was caused by your employer’s negligence or not.

In a third-party lawsuit, the investigation will be critical to your case. Compensation from a third-party can far exceed the benefits you obtain under the LHWCA, and it is crucial to consult an attorney to ensure your rights are protected. If you or a loved one was injured in a longshore or maritime catastrophe due to negligence by a third party, contact our maritime and admiralty lawyers.

We have decades of experience in defective equipment cases, maritime operations, and offshore work. Our law firm has the resources to undertake a comprehensive investigation and establish the liability of the third party. We will aggressively fight to achieve a successful outcome for you, or you will pay nothing. Our law firm offers *free consultations to understand your case, and these meeting are completely confidential.

Common Injuries to Longshoremen and Maritime Workers

Longshoremen and harbor workers’ injuries and fatalities are commonly caused by incidents including:

• Slip and fall injuries
• Drowning or near-drowning injuries
• Scaffolding injuries
• Machinery or vehicle injuries
• Fires and explosions
• Electrocutions
• Equipment-related injuries
• Crane and forklift injuries
• Material-handling injuries

COMMON INJURIES TO HOUMA LONGSHOREMEN & MARITIME WORKERS

Longshoremen are exposed to dangers each day at work. Even with proper training, injuries still happen, and these are unfortunately among the most common:

• Amputations
• Back Injuries
• Bone Fractures
• Brain Injuries
• Burns
• Catastrophic Injuries
• Chemical Injuries
• Crush Injuries
• Drowning
• Hearing & Vision Loss
• Herniated Disc Injuries
• Neck Injuries
• Repetitive Use Injuries
• Shoulder Injuries
• Spinal Cord Injuries
• Wrongful or Avoidable Death
• Asbestos-Related injuries, including Mesothelioma

THE LHWCA EXCLUDES THESE TYPES OF EMPLOYEES FROM COVERAGE

• Shipbuilders who are employed to build recreational vessels smaller than 65 feet long.
• People employed by a marina and who are not engaged in the construction, replacement, or expansion of the marina (except for routine maintenance).
• Mechanics or repairmen for recreational vessels.
• Aquaculture workers.
• Captains and crew members of vessels, for instance any type of boat or ship. These workers are entitled to protection under a federal law known as the Jones Act.

JONES ACT REPRESENTATION FOR MARITIME WORKERS

If you were injured on a barge, on a tugboat or suffered an injury while employed on a ship, a floating structure, or vessel, you could have a Jones Act claim. Don’t risk filing your Jones Act case until you have talked to an experienced, aggressive Houma Jones Act attorney who understands all types of maritime injury claims and the Jones Act.

CALL US FOR AN HONEST ASSESSMENT OF YOUR CASE

Federal law provides strong protection for injured maritime workers under the LHWCA and the Jones Act. Each comes with a statute of limitations and other specific procedures. If the claim is due to an occupational disease, such as hearing loss or lung conditions due to exposure to asbestos, the filing requirement is two years from the date you first become aware of the occupational disease, your disability, and its impact on your employment. You should not wait to file your claim.

The longer you wait, the easier it will be for your employer to argue that your injuries are unrelated to your work. You need professional legal representation to help you receive the compensation you deserve.