Applying Federal Maritime Law to Personal Injury Cases
Relatively few personal injury lawyers have substantial experience with the application of federal maritime law to personal injury claims resulting from accidents on the water. Louisiana negligence law is available for the resolution of claims for both recreational boaters and shipboard workers on the Mississippi River or the Gulf of Mexico. It is usually advisable, however, for the plaintiff's lawyer to consider whether federal maritime law might yield better results for the victim of an accident on the water.
Contact an experienced maritime attorney at the Charbonnet Law Firm for a free consultation about your best legal options in any accident in a boat, on a ship, or in a harbor. While every case needs to be evaluated on its own facts, we often find that it's to the plaintiff's advantage to choose federal maritime law when the option is available. In many cases, liability is easier to establish against a larger pool of defendants, and the damages allowed are frequently greater once liability is proved.
Our attorneys can advise you about the availability and advisability of the maritime law option in personal injury or wrongful death claims in such vessels or settings as the following:
- Sightseeing boats and river cruises
- Negligence claims against passenger cruise ship lines
- Tugboats or other harbor craft
- Fishing boats
- Offshore oil and gas platforms
- River barges
- Waterfront terminals, piers and warehouses
Sometimes the decision to invoke maritime law will be obvious — a working seaman injured on a vessel in the Gulf due to the negligence of the skipper enjoys so many legal advantages under the Jones Act that a federal lawsuit under maritime law is an easy choice. Other cases present more difficult decisions, such as a claim for injuries caused by an intoxicated recreational boater in the navigable waters of Louisiana.
No matter what the facts of your case might involve, you can count on the Charbonnet Law Firm for dependable advice and fully committed client service. Contact us in New Orleans or Metairie for a free consultation about your potential maritime claims.
