Daily-published explainers, reference guides, and case-type analysis on maritime injury claims. Written for workers, families, and the people helping them navigate the legal frameworks that apply offshore.
After a fishing injury, the clock is already running, and missing a filing deadline can end even a strong claim. Most deadlines for commercial fishing injury claims run three years, but some are shorter. Here is how the clock works and how to protect your right to file.
Read articleOne system asks whether someone was negligent. The other pays without blame but caps what you collect. Fault vs. no-fault is the difference between a Jones Act lawsuit and a Longshore or comp claim, and it decides how much you must prove and how much your injury is actually worth.
Read articleAlmost every firm's site claims it handles maritime cases. The questions that reveal real maritime experience are the ones a general injury lawyer cannot answer in a sentence, from seaman status to vessel-owner defenses and venue. Here are the questions to ask, and the answers to listen for.
Read articleTwo workers can be hurt feet apart on the same job and fall under two different bodies of law. Fixed platform vs. vessel is the line that decides whether you are a Jones Act seaman or a Longshore Act claimant, and it changes your deadlines, your burden of proof, and your damages.
Read articleTelling your boss you got hurt sounds simple, until an adjuster reads what you wrote. Here is how to report a maritime injury to your employer: what to say, what to put in writing, the deadlines that start the day it happens, and the statement you should never sign on the spot.
Read articleWhen a maritime death happens more than three nautical miles out, one federal statute controls the money. This explains why DOHSA limits damages to pecuniary loss, what that phrase quietly excludes, grief, companionship, and usually punitive damages, and what surviving families can still recover.
Read articleWhen you are hurt and looking for help, a lawyer who promises you will win sounds like exactly what you need. It is the opposite. Here is why a lawyer who guarantees a result is a red flag, and what honest counsel sounds like instead.
Read articleIf you are an injured seaman, you want a real answer, not a number pulled from thin air. So how much is a Jones Act case worth? This breaks down the factors that actually drive value, starting with the one that decides whether you have a claim.
Read articleA serious offshore burn can mean months of surgery, a lost career, and permanent scars. There is no average that tells you what a claim is worth. This breaks down how burn injury settlements are valued offshore, and the one factor that changes the value most.
Read articleThe bends can disable or kill a commercial diver, and it is almost always preventable. When decompression sickness (the bends) follows an unsafe dive, injured divers may have Jones Act, unseaworthiness, or Longshore Act claims. Here is how those claims work, and why your status matters.
Read articleInjured on a cruise? The ticket you accepted usually forces your lawsuit into one court, almost always Miami. This explains why many cruise lawsuits must be filed in Miami, the Supreme Court case that makes the clause stick, and the short deadline hidden in the same contract.
Read articleUnder the LHWCA, what you can recover falls into four buckets: all reasonable medical care, wage-replacement of two-thirds of your average weekly wage, disability compensation including scheduled awards for permanent loss, and death benefits for survivors. The honest limit: a comp system pays no pain and suffering.
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If you or a family member was injured at sea, on a platform, in a port, or on a transport flight, our editorial team can connect you with a vetted maritime specialty attorney for a free case review. Talking with someone is free. There is no obligation, and your details are not sold to a lead exchange.
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