Intracoastal Waterway Crew & Seamen Injury Lawyer
Accidents in Florida’s Intracoastal Waterway sometimes leave crewmembers and seamen with serious injuries. Negligent boating operations and rough water conditions can put workers at risk of serious injury that could leave them out of work or dealing with disabilities that interrupt their lives.
If you are a crewman or seaman working in the Intracoastal Waterway in Florida and you faced serious injuries at work, call Rivkind Margulies & Rivkind, P.A. today to get help with your potential injury case. Our Intracoastal Waterway crew and seamen injury lawyers offer free case consultations on new injury cases. Call us today at (866) 386-1762 for more information.
Filing an Injury Case for Injured Intracoastal Waterway Workers in Florida
The Intracoastal Waterway sees boat traffic from many types of commercial shipping and boating operations. Marine workers and seamen often face rough conditions at work that could put them in danger, and maritime injury laws often allow these victims to file lawsuits against their employers and ship owners to get compensation for their injuries.
If you were injured and want to seek compensation from your employer for an accident, you can typically do so without worrying about state workers’ compensation laws. Workers on land might have to file claims with their employer’s workers’ compensation insurance to get payments for medical care and lost wages, but the ability to take your employer to court might help you collect additional damages for pain and suffering as well as additional damages for lost wages, which are often limited in workers’ comp. cases.
When you file your claim, you will need to base your claim on some sort of negligence that occurred on the job. In some cases, you will file against your employer directly, accusing them of dangerous conditions on the ship, negligent training, lack of safety gear, or other kinds of claims that involve some sort of breach of a legal duty they owed you. You could also be able to file your case against a third party, such as a coworker who injured you or another boat operator that crashed into your vessel.
No matter who you file your claim against, you will need to show a breach of a legal duty. Sometimes the duty comes from laws and standards like OSHA regulations, while other duties stem from industry standards and safe-boating practices or other common-sense standards. A breach of duty that caused injuries meets the legal standard of negligence and can form the basis of your crew and seamen injury claim.
Getting Damages for Injured Crew and Seamen in Intracoastal Waterway Accidents
Intracoastal Waterway accidents can cause serious injuries to crewmembers and boat operators. Some accidents could cause catastrophic damage to a ship, potentially putting the crewmembers’ lives in danger. Other accidents involving crashes could also cause broken bones, head injuries, back injuries, and other serious injuries. Even without an actual crash, injuries from lifting and carrying, loading accidents, or other accidents aboard a vessel could cause moderate to severe injuries. The compensation you can claim for these injuries can often help injured Intracoastal Waterway workers and their families.
At-fault parties like negligent boat operators and dangerous maritime employers are often held liable for any damages that come about because of their negligence. If a boat operator crashes into your vessel and you break your arm because of it, that break is their fault, and they should cover medical bills and other expenses related to the injury. Aside from medical bills, victims often face other harms such as the pain and emotional distress of the injury, among others. Compensation can be claimed for many different areas of harm, both economic and non-economic.
If your injury leads to time off work during your recovery or the injury is bad enough to stop you from being able to work anymore, you can also claim damages for those economic effects. Lost income and future earning capacity damages can be claimed to compensate you and help you and your family continue to support yourselves despite your injury. If you have to quit your job and do something less physical, you can often claim compensation for the reduction in income.
Settling Boating and Maritime Injury Cases for Intracoastal Waterway Workers in Florida
Many injury cases ultimately end up settling instead of going to trial. However, the threat of having to defend themselves in open court often pushes defendants toward settling at fair rates for the victim. Our Intracoastal Waterway crew and seamen injury lawyers can negotiate with the at-fault parties and their insurance companies and fight to drive your case toward a settlement that appropriately compensates you for your injuries.
If the defendant refuses to compromise or pay you for damages like pain and suffering, our attorneys are prepared to fight your case at trial to improve your situation. Often, jurors are willing to award victims the compensation they need, and potentially even award additional punitive damages against especially negligent employers or boating companies.
Talk to a lawyer about any settlement offers you receive, and always seek the help of an attorney before accepting any compensation for injuries at work on the Intracoastal Waterway in Florida.
Call Our Intracoastal Waterway Workers Injury Lawyers for a Free Case Consultation
Victims of accidents on the water in Florida are often entitled to substantial compensation from the ship owner, the operator that hit their vessel, or an employer that negligently allowed them to be injured. If you or a loved one was injured, the Intracoastal Waterway crew and seamen injury attorneys at Rivkind Margulies & Rivkind may be able to help. Call (866) 386-1762 today.
