A personal injury is without a doubt devastating. A maritime injury is often physically damaging to the point where compensation benefits are considered to help cover medical treatment. If you are injured in a maritime accident, don’t work with the insurance companies alone. Hire a competent and compassionate attorney help you navigate your personal injury case. If you are searching for a Longshore Act attorney New Orleans, Louisiana area, call Ms. Christy Johnson with Mainstay Law LLC.
What is the Longshore Harbor Workers Compensation Act? If you have had an accident or injury on navigable waters, a harbor or wharf, then you may qualify for compensation. Continue reading to learn more about the various maritime personal injury cases that Mainstay Law LLC handles, and why it is one of the best Longshore law firm Louisiana has to offer.
Longshore Case Law New Orleans
The United States and Department of Labor is committed to making sure that injured workers receive the compensation that they deserve when injured on the job. This is why there are various acts that injury attorneys must know. Mainstay Law LLC focuses on personal injuries arising under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, the Defense Base Act and the Jones Act.
The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act LHWCA was created to provide compensation in lieu of tort damages for a class of workers commonly referred to as longshoremen. These workers are civilian employees who work on the navigable waters of the United States or adjoining piers, wharfs and harbors. The LHWCA also protects workers who are stationed on oil rigs affixed to the ocean floor of the Outer Continental Shelf, as well as workers engaged in shipbuilding and ship repair.
Types of Injuries Covered Under the LHWCA
It’s unfortunate that maritime occupations come with the great risk of injury. The most common injuries that longshoremen receive are the result of slip and fall accidents, transfer accidents by Jacob’s ladders, swing ropes, and man baskets, forklift accidents, cargo loading unloading, crane accidents, platform explosions, and hearing loss.
If you have suffered from an injury such as those described, you may qualify for compensation. The only way to know for sure is to contact a Longshore law firm Louisiana area. You may also receive compensation if you are a surviving eligible family member of someone who was killed during a workplace accident or who died as a result of his or her injuries.
The “Situs” and “Status” Test
A quality law firm will know the various requirements that one must meet to qualify for compensation under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act. To be classified as a longshoreman, you must satisfy a two-part test known as the “situs” and “status” test.
The “situs” test requires that the injury takes place on the “navigable waters of the United States. In 1972, Congress extended the situs to include many different shore areas and facilities including any pier, wharf, dry dock, terminal, building way, marine railway or other adjoining areas commonly used in the loading, unloading repairing, dismantling, or building a vessel. The “status” test requires that the employee must be engaged in maritime employment.
Another instance in which you may be covered by the LHWCA is if you work in the oil and gas industry on platforms located on the Outer Continental Shelf.
Some type of employees are not covered under the LHWCA, such as masters and crew members of vessels; federal, state and foreign government employees; employees covered by state workers’ compensation; intentional injuries incurred by employees seeking to harm themselves or others.
If you feel you need a quality LHWCA attorney in the New Orleans area, contact Ms. Christy Johnson with Mainstay Law LLC. You will be met with compassion for your struggles with personal injury, as well as expert legal advice.
Certified in all Louisiana Courts
Ms. Johnson is admitted to practice law in all of the district courts of Louisiana. The coast of Louisiana is home to many maritime industries, meaning the need for a quality LHWCA lawyer in the New Orleans area is significant.
Mainstay Law LLC runs a state-of-the-art virtual office based in New Orleans. Call 1-833-291-1818 to arrange a meeting with Ms. Johnson. The address of her office is 3436 Magazine Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70115.