If you are a Jones Act seaman or land-based maritime worker and suffered a serious injury on a mechanical dredge, a suction dredge or a hydraulic cutterhead dredge through the fault of another, you have valuable legal rights. A Louisiana maritime attorney at Gordon, Elias & Seely, L.L.P., can review your dredge accident and your legal options for seeking compensation for your injuries, medical bills and lost wages
The skilled attorneys at Gordon, Elias & Seely, L.L.P., represent hardworking people who have been harmed through the fault of others and need a hand to get back on their feet. Our Louisiana maritime and admiralty law firm has assisted a number of injured seamen and marine workers by providing sound legal advice and representation based on years of experience in admiralty and maritime law cases. We also represent families who have lost a maritime worker in wrongful death claims.
Whether you are a deckhand, an engineer, a heavy equipment operator, engine room crew or a dredge foreman, if you have been injured in a dredge accident, it’s important to make the right call when choosing a Jones Act attorney to represent you.
Call 800-773-6770 or fill out the online contact form to receive a free initial consultation. Mr. Gordon, Mr. Elias or Mr. Seely will discuss your legal options. Maritime workers don’t work just from 9 to 5, and neither do we. We answer calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Dredge Injury Attorney
Many waterways, shipping channels and passes along the Gulf Coast have to be deepened regularly to maintain enough water depth for larger ships and deep draft oceangoing vessels to navigate safely. Dredges remove silt from river bottoms, waterways and ocean inlets to keep shipping channels open for navigation. To perform their work, dredges transport machinery, equipment and crew over water. Unfortunately, deckhands and workers on dredges may suffer serious accidents on dredges if they’re struck by heavy machinery or a dredge runs aground.
Some dredges are owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Other dredges are owned and operated by private companies. Among the maritime companies that operate dredges are Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co., Weeks Marine, King Fisher Marine Service, Manson Construction Co., Marinex Construction, Inc., Southern Dredging Co., Mike Hooks, Inc., Coastal Dredging Co, Inc., ENCO Dredging, and Vortex Marine Construction, Inc.
If you are a maritime worker and you have been injured while working on a dredge, you may have legal rights to compensation under the Jones Act, Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act or general maritime law. After a serious marine vessel injury, you may be facing substantial medical bills and time off work. It’s important to understand your legal rights. Families of dredge workers who die in preventable accidents may be entitled to compensation as well. A Jones Act lawyer at Gordon, Elias and Seely, L.L.P., will review your dredge accident at no charge and provide legal advice about your right to compensation.
Louisiana Dredge Injury Lawyers
Dredge work is physically demanding, the hours long and the work dangerous. As an able-bodied seaman, you were willing to meet the physical demands of the work. But you expected the dredge owner and operator to uphold their end of the bargain and provide a seaworthy vessel, properly maintained equipment and adequate crew for the job. When dredge operators disregard the safety of the crew or the condition of the vessel, serious accidents can occur.
A dredge may run aground, causing workers to fall from heights if a deck lacks guard rails. A crane boom on a dredge may strike a deckhand, causing severe head or back injuries if crew members aren’t properly trained. A dredge may rupture an underwater gas line, causing an explosion and fire that can severely burn crew. A seaman may suffer a crushing injury or loss of finger if a hand gets pinned while handling dredge pipe. A dredge worker may be injured while working in the water on dredge equipment. Some maritime employers fail to conduct safety drills as required by the U.S. Coast Guard.
In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a dredge meets the definition of a vessel under the Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act. That gives you important legal rights. Many dredge workers qualify as land-based maritime workers or Jones Act seamen under the law. That may give you a legal right to sue the owner of a vessel if a serious injury was caused by the owner’s negligence
Any marine workers or seamen seriously injured in a dredge accident should talk to a maritime lawyer to understand their legal options under the Jones Act, the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act and general maritime law. The maritime lawyers at Gordon, Elias & Seely, L.L.P., are licensed to practice in Louisiana and Texas and have helped many Gulf families overcome a serious injury or loss.
Call A Louisiana Dredge Accident Lawyer
If you are a dredge deckhand, whether you are a land-based maritime worker or a Jones Act seaman, you may have legal rights to compensation under federal law. The family of a Jones Act seaman or land-based maritime worker who dies from a fatal dredge accident may bring a wrongful death lawsuit. Maritime law is extremely complicated. It’s important to talk to a personal injury attorney who can review your dredge accident and explain your rights under the Jones Act and the Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act. A Louisiana maritime lawyer at Gordon, Elias and Seely, L.L.P., can help you receive compensation after a serious injury.
Call 800-773-6770 or fill out the online contact form to receive a free initial consultation. Mr. Gordon and Mr. Elias will be glad to answer your questions.
