Lafayette Maritime Accident Lawyer

MARITIME ACCIDENTS

Whether you’re a maritime worker or a recreational boater, an accident at sea can change your life in an instant. That’s where a Lafayette maritime injury lawyer can step in.

The Law Offices of Richard R. Kennedy have represented maritime injury cases for over 50 years.

Learn how our injury attorneys in Lafayette, LA, can help you win the compensation you deserve after a maritime accident.

Maritime Accidents Fall Under Maritime Law

Maritime law, also known as admiralty law, is a combination of domestic and international law that relates to shipping and navigation. It can cover both accidents that occurred at sea and those at marine terminals and ports. Maritime law is a specialized field different from other types of law. For example, pursuing compensation for an injury on an oil rig will take completely different routes depending on if the rig is permanently stationary or a mobile jack-up rig. Many maritime injury cases will be tried in federal, rather than state, courts.

Attorneys Richard R. Kennedy and Richard R. Kennedy III are familiar with this specialized branch of law. If you’ve suffered a maritime accident, call our law firm for a free consultation at (337) 232-1934. Our firm serves Lafayette, LA, New Iberia, and surrounding communities.

Who We Can Help

Our Lafayette, LA, attorneys are well-versed in the intricacies of maritime injury cases. Maritime law covers much more than just ships at sea. In addition to ship accidents, maritime personal injury cases include:

Common Types of Maritime Accidents

There are 400,000 US workers in the maritime industry. It’s important to note then that commercial fishermen are 40 times more likely to die in a work-related accident, and 42.6% of all severe maritime accident injuries require inpatient hospitalization.

Working on or near the water comes with risks that most land-based jobs never have to deal with. These environments can quickly turn dangerous, leading to serious or even life-threatening injuries. Some of the most common types of maritime accidents include:

Offshore Drilling Injury

If you were injured in an offshore drilling accident, your case can quickly become complicated because of the unique conditions and overlapping laws that apply at sea. Offshore rigs are high-risk environments where workers operate heavy machinery, handle hazardous materials, and often work long hours in harsh weather.

Even small mistakes, like improper maintenance, poor supervision, or a moment of fatigue, can lead to catastrophic accidents involving explosions, equipment malfunctions, or serious falls.

What makes these cases even more complex is where they happen. Just three miles off Louisiana’s coast, state waters end and international waters begin. That means your claim might not involve only US maritime law but also international regulations and jurisdictional questions.

At the Law Offices of Richard R. Kennedy, we’ve spent over 50 years helping offshore workers and their families navigate these challenging legal issues, and our experience allows us to identify the right legal path for your situation.

Rig and Barge Accidents

Barges carry hundreds of pounds of cargo, meaning workers are at risk for head trauma, spine damage, and many other types of injuries. Rigs pose additional hazards due to the high levels of flammable substances. To make matters even worse, owners and operators often overlook safety standards in an attempt to cut costs. We will fight to bring all negligent parties to justice and obtain the money you deserve.

Commercial Fishing and Shrimping Accidents

Commercial fishing and shrimping are among the most physically demanding and dangerous jobs in Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico. Crews often work long shifts in unpredictable weather, handling heavy nets, traps, and machinery on constantly shifting, wet decks. That means a single misstep can cause a fall overboard, and tangled lines or winches can lead to severe crush injuries or amputations.

Overexertion and fatigue are also major hazards. Fishermen often work extended hours with little rest, which increases the risk of mistakes and slows reaction times during emergencies. Equipment failures, lack of proper safety training, or negligent maintenance by vessel owners can make an already risky job even more dangerous.

Cargo and Tugboat Accidents

Working on cargo ships and tugboats involves constant movement, coordination, and physical labor in a confined, high-pressure environment. These vessels are essential to Louisiana’s shipping and offshore industries, but they also present serious safety risks when not properly maintained or operated.

Improper loading or securing of cargo can cause dangerous weight shifts that can lead to falls, collapsing materials, or crush injuries. Mechanical failures like faulty winches, cranes, or engines can also cause devastating accidents for crew members working nearby.

Tugboat workers face additional hazards due to their role in towing and maneuvering massive vessels through tight waterways. One miscommunication or equipment malfunction can cause collisions, line snapbacks, or falls overboard.

Many of these incidents are caused by negligence, whether because of inadequate vessel maintenance, unsafe working conditions, or a failure to follow safety protocols. When employers or vessel owners cut corners, crew members are the ones who suffer.

Boating Accidents

Maritime workers are not the only ones at risk on the water. Recreational boating accidents can also have serious consequences. Louisiana’s lakes, rivers, and coastal waters attract countless boaters, but crowded waterways and unpredictable weather can make conditions hazardous. Collisions between vessels, capsizing, and jet ski crashes are among the most common incidents, often resulting in drowning, traumatic injuries, or property damage.

Many of these accidents are preventable, and they happen because of operator negligence. Distracted driving, inexperience, speeding, and alcohol use are some of the leading causes of recreational boating accidents. Even a brief lapse in judgment or failure to follow navigation rules can have devastating consequences.

Our attorneys handle many types of boating incidents, including collisions, capsized vessels, jet ski accidents, and more. Our team will investigate the accident carefully to determine who was at fault. Distracted operators, inexperience, alcohol, and negligence can all contribute to boating accidents.

At the Law Offices of Richard R. Kennedy, we have extensive experience handling maritime injury cases involving all types of vessels and working environments, and we carefully investigate every contributing factor to hold all responsible parties accountable.

Compensation for Maritime Workers

Victims of maritime accidents could be entitled to a wide range of compensation, including past and future medical expenses, lost wages, loss of future earning capacity, pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of quality of life, and permanent disability. The type of compensation you can recover often depends on which maritime law applies to your situation.

Different laws protect different types of workers and passengers, and those laws include:

The Jones Act

This legislation allows those injured while working on seagoing vessels to file injury claims against their employers and the vessel owners. Claiming damages under the Jones Act can be quite complex. Workers must prove that they contributed to the function of the vessel, and also establish a significant connection to the maritime craft in question. We can help you navigate these laws and obtain the money you deserve.

LHWCA

This act provides compensation and medical benefits to injured maritime employees who are not crew members. It covers longshoremen, dock and harbor workers, shipbuilders, and others who work adjacent to sea-based vessels. While the Jones Act allows employees to sue their employer for negligence, the LHWCA is a form of federal workers’ compensation, and the employee does not have to prove fault.

Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA)

DOHSA applies when a death occurs more than three nautical miles from the US coast due to negligence or an unsafe vessel. This federal law allows surviving family members to pursue compensation for financial losses tied to the death. That could include lost income, funeral expenses, and other economic damages.

Maintenance and Cure

For injured seamen, maintenance and cure is a fundamental right under maritime injury laws. Maintenance covers basic living expenses, like food and housing. Cure pays for necessary medical treatment until the worker reaches their maximum medical recovery level. Unlike most personal injury claims, this benefit applies no matter who was at fault for the accident.

Causes of Maritime Accidents

• Slips and Falls. Ship decks and oil rig platforms can be slick, and become even more dangerous if a negligent owner does not enforce deck cleanliness and safety standards.
• Unseaworthiness. Owners are required to ensure their vessels are seaworthy, meaning all standard equipment must be provided and maintained in good condition. Unseaworthy vessels are more likely to be involved in accidents.
• Fire. Flammable cargo, fuel leaks, faulty wiring, overheated engines, and mechanical failures can all lead to fires. The cramped conditions of a vessel can cause more accidents as workers rush to put out the flames.
• Inadequate Crew. In addition to adequate equipment, maritime law requires that vessels have sufficient crew members for the purpose of the vessel. Too few or poorly trained crew members can cause accidents.
• Personnel Transfers. Personnel moving on and off the vessel via gangplanks or personnel baskets are the cause of many accidents, especially in inclement weather conditions and rough seas.
• Collisions. Collisions can occur between vessels in poor weather, or in busy ports or shipping lanes. Inexperienced or overworked crew, navigation errors, and malfunctioning equipment can all contribute.
• Cranes. Cranes may handle loads weighing hundreds or thousands of pounds, making any error extremely dangerous. Faulty winches, fatigued or poorly trained operators, and stormy seas are all safety hazards.

Types of Maritime Injuries

Life on the water is dangerous, and the injuries sustained from maritime accidents are often catastrophic. Some of the most common injuries include:

• Drowning
• Burns
• Crush injuries
• Amputations
• Repetitive strain
• Permanent disability

At the Law Offices of Richard R. Kennedy, our team can connect victims with medical professionals and life-care planners to document the full scope of their losses and future needs.

Who May Be Liable

Determining liability in maritime injury cases can be challenging. Employers could be responsible if they didn’t provide a safe working environment or adequate equipment. Vessel owners can be held liable for unseaworthiness, while third-party contractors or manufacturers could be at fault for defective machinery or negligent maintenance. Under maritime injury laws, each responsible party can be pursued separately to maximize your recovery.

Hire a Maritime Injury Lawyer: We Fight to Win Fair Compensation

Legal deadlines, medical bills, lost wages, and the pain that lingers after an accident can build up and feel overwhelming. The Law Offices of Richard R. Kennedy in Lafayette, Louisiana, offer the peace of mind that comes with knowing you have diligent, committed car accident attorneys on your side.

Our injury lawyers, Richard R. Kennedy and Richard R. Kennedy III  are personally committed to success in every case they take. They have won millions on behalf of injured clients.

If you’re interested in learning more about how our noted car accident attorneys can help you, contact our law firm either by leaving a message online or calling: (337) 232-1934