Sarasota Dock Worker Injury Lawyer
If you are a dock worker in the Sarasota area and you recently got hurt on the job, we know how important it is to be able to seek compensation for your injuries. Often dock workers who sustain work-related injuries are in a complicated position because they may be unable to seek workers’ compensation benefits under Florida law because they work on the water instead of on land, yet they may not be eligible to file a lawsuit against a negligent worker under the Jones Act. To be clear, Florida workers’ compensation benefits do not cover most maritime workers who spend a majority of time working on the water, or on a vessel on the water. Many of those maritime workers are eligible to file a claim against a negligent employer under the Jones Act, but this is not necessarily true for injured dock workers.
If you are a dock worker and you got hurt at work, an experienced Sarasota dock worker injury lawyer at our firm can help you to seek compensation through the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA). Do not hesitate to get in touch with our firm for more information.
What is the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act?
The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act is a federal law that allows certain injured workers to be eligible for compensation to cover medical care and vocational rehabilitation services. The Jones Act has very specific requirements for the type of vessel where an injury occurs in order for an injured worker to be eligible to file a claim. Thus, it often does not apply to dock worker injuries. Differently, the LHWCA is a bit broader in covering workers on vessels as well as workers on areas used to load, repair, unload, or build a vessel.
Beyond compensation for an injured dock worker, the LHWCA can also provide survivor benefits in the event that a dock worker sustains a fatal injury on the job.
How Does the LHWCA Apply to Sarasota Dock Workers?
The LHWCA applies to a wide variety of maritime-related jobs, including, for example:
- Harbor construction workers;
- Longshore workers;
- Ship builders;
- Ship repairers;
- Ship breakers;
- Loaders and unloaders of maritime vessels; and
- Other non-maritime employees who do work on navigable waters.
There are also a number of exclusions, so it is important to discuss your situation with a dock work injury attorney in Sarasota to determine your eligibility for compensation.
Contact a Sarasota Dock Worker Injury Attorney
If you were injured while working on a pier, dock, wharf, or boat terminal, or if you were doing any type of job that required you to load or unload a vessel when you got hurt, you may be eligible to file a claim for compensation under the LHWCA. In some cases, dock workers can also be eligible to file a claim under the Jones Act, depending upon the specific nature of their employment. Regardless of how your workplace injury occurred, one of our aggressive Sarasota dock worker injury lawyers can assist you with your case. Contact Barbas Nuñez Sanders Butler & Hovsepian today to get started on your claim.
