If you have been injured in a boating accident, our Evansville area accident lawyers can help. We serve clients in Louisville, Indianapolis, Evansville, and surrounding areas.
Gerling Law
Injury Attorneys
519 Main Street
Evansville, Indiana 47708
(812) 423-5251
10401 N. Meridian Street, Suite 300
Indianapolis, Indiana 46290
(317) 616-3646
401 W. Main Street, #710
Louisville, Kentucky 40202
(502) 587-8888
(888) GERLING
(812) 423-9928 (fax)
Evansville Boating Accident Lawyers Serving Indianapolis, Louisville, and Beyond
Boating accidents can involve any size boat, from small recreational watercrafts to large cruise ships and commercial shipping vessels. Laws differ, depending on whether the victim was a passenger on a recreational vessel or a ship employee injured on the job. At Gerling Law in Indianapolis, Louisville, and Evansville, our boating accident lawyers understand the laws involved in all types of boating accidents, and we will work to get you the compensation you deserve for your injuries.
- Maritime Law and Boating Accidents
- Work-related Boating Accidents
- How Our Boating Accident Lawyers Can Help
- Contact Our Boating Accident Lawyers
Maritime Law and Boating Accidents
Many boating accidents occur due to the negligence of inexperienced, reckless, careless, or inattentive drivers. When alcohol is involved, the resulting accidents and injuries can be catastrophic. Those who are injured due to the negligent actions of boaters may be able to collect damages for injuries.
Maritime laws offer specialized regulations that govern shipping and navigation. They also provide laws pertaining to injuries that occur on boats. If you are involved in a boating accident, it is important to report it to the police or coastal authorities as soon as possible. In order to protect your rights, it is also critical that you contact a team of experienced boating accident lawyers who will help you understand the complicated laws that ensure victims receive the compensation they deserve.
At Gerling Law in Evansville, our boating accident lawyers also serve clients from our Indianapolis and Louisville offices who have been injured in boating accidents. During your free consultation, our attorneys will analyze medical records and witness accounts of the accident in order to determine the best strategy to help you recover damages for your injuries.
Work-related Boating Accidents
When seamen and other maritime workers are injured on the job, they are entitled to compensation for their pain and suffering. However, the laws that govern maritime workers’ on-the-job injuries are different from those of other workers. Instead of filing a workers’ compensation claim, maritime workers are able to file a personal injury claim under the Jones Act.
The Jones Act
Our boating accident lawyers are highly experienced in handling personal injury cases for maritime workers under the Jones Act. The act is a set of federal laws designed to protect the rights of seamen and other maritime workers who have been injured due to their employer’s negligence. Similar to workers’ compensation, the Jones Act provides benefits for maritime workers who are not able to return to work because of work-related injuries. The injuries can be caused by negligent operation, actions by unqualified staff, negligent upkeep or maintenance of safety equipment on the ship, or use of defective equipment.
Filing a Personal Injury Claim Under the Jones Act
To file a personal injury claim under the Jones Act, workers must spend the majority of their time aboard the vessel, and the injury must have occurred while the vessel was capable of navigation. The following types of workers can file a personal injury claim under the Jones Act:
- Cruise ship and ferry boat workers
- Barge workers
- Tug boat workers
- Oil platform workers
- Ship repair and maintenance workers
- Commercial divers
- Longshoremen
- Fishermen
- Construction workers
Maritime workers who have been injured may be able to sue the boat owner/operator or employer to gain compensation for present and future lost wages, medical costs, physical pain and suffering, and mental anguish. Maritime claims include "transportation, wages, maintenance, and cure," until the worker is able to return to work. If you have been injured while working in any of these occupations, contact Gerling Law in Evansville. The boating accident lawyers at our Indianapolis, Louisville, or Evansville offices can help you get the compensation to which you are entitled.
Unseaworthiness
Ship owners are responsible to seamen and other workers for providing a seaworthy vessel. Under general maritime law, if a worker is injured as the result of an unseaworthy vessel, an injury or wrongful death suit can be filed based on an unseaworthiness claim.
In order for a ship to be considered seaworthy, it must provide the following:
- A safe working and living environment
- A competent crew
- Appropriate safety equipment
- Adequate work equipment that functions properly
Even if a vessel meets these requirements when it leaves shore, certain dangers can arise during its voyage, making it unseaworthy. Our Louisville, Indianapolis, and Evansville law offices are staffed with accident lawyers who know the complicated laws that govern boating accidents. They can determine who is liable for your injuries so that you receive the full compensation that you are entitled to receive.
The Death on the High Seas Act
When a work-related boating accident ends in a fatality, the surviving family members are able to file for benefits under the Death on the High Seas Act, instead of filing a wrongful death claim. The death must be due to the negligence of the worker’s employer or the unseaworthiness of the vessel, and must also have occurred more than three miles off the shore of any state.
How Our Boating Accident Lawyers Can Help
The laws regarding accidents that occur on boats are complex and often depend on where the accident (whether it was work-related or recreational) occurred, in addition to other circumstances surrounding the incident. For these reasons, it is important to consult experienced boating accident lawyers for assistance. At Gerling Law in Indianapolis, Evansville, and Louisville, we understand maritime law and will investigate your accident in order to hold the responsible party liable for your injuries.
Contact Our Boating Accident Lawyers
Whether you were injured in a recreational boating accident or a work-related accident on a vessel, our Louisville, Indianapolis, and Evansville accident lawyers can help you get the compensation you need to move on with your life. Contact Gerling Law to speak to one of our boating accident lawyers.