Were you recently hurt in a maritime accident off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida? Don’t hesitate to contact the experienced legal team at Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers. As a worker aboard a navigable vessel, you have rights if you’re hurt on the job. Our experienced St. Petersburg maritime accident lawyers are ready to help you seek damages and maximize your recovery.
Since 2001, Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers has been trusted by injured seamen and grieving families after life-changing accidents on the water. Our award-winning Florida trial attorneys have 119+ years of combined experience and a demonstrated ability to win tough cases. We’ve led our clients to tens of millions of dollars in financial victories. Now, we’re here to fight for you.
Contact our St. Petersburg, FL, law office today at (727) 314-5988 to learn more. Your first case evaluation is free.
How Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a St. Petersburg, FL, Maritime Accident
Getting hurt can be frustrating, especially when you’re injured at work. However, there’s a big difference between getting hurt in a St. Petersburg workplace and getting hurt on a navigable vessel at sea. When you’re a seaman, you’re not covered by workers’ compensation. You have rights, but they can be more difficult to understand and explore.
That’s why you shouldn’t hesitate to turn to our trusted St. Petersburg personal injury lawyers for help after your maritime accident.
At Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers, we provide client-driven legal representation to injured workers like yourself. Our experience, knowledge of federal maritime law, and passion for justice can make a huge difference as you fight for the compensation you deserve.
Count on us to:
- Thoroughly investigate your maritime accident to establish causation and liability
- Determine all of your rights under federal maritime law
- Gather evidence needed to build a compelling claim for benefits and/or damages
- Determine the value of your maritime injury claim
- Work closely with respected expert witnesses and specialists
- Represent you during all conversations, hearings, and negotiations with the defense
- Aggressively pursue a reasonable and meaningful settlement offer on your behalf
You’re going through an incredibly difficult time, but you have a great opportunity in front of you to recover compensation. Our maritime accident attorneys in St. Petersburg want to help you make the most of it.
Our personal injury law firm represents injured maritime workers on a contingency fee basis. You’ll pay nothing unless we win compensation for your claim.
Contact our law office in St. Petersburg today to learn more and schedule a time for your free consultation.
What Laws Protect Me if I’m Hurt in a St. Petersburg Maritime Accident?
When you work aboard or in service of a navigable vessel, you’re not necessarily protected by Florida’s workers’ compensation system. Instead, you’re covered by federal maritime law.
Maritime law, or admiralty law, covers disputes that occur on navigable waters – including worker injuries and deaths.
Navigable waters are off the coast and typically used for interstate or foreign commerce.
The laws that you’re protected by depend on the type of work you do, and may include the:
- The Jones Act
- Longshoremen & Harbor Workers Compensation Act
- Limitation of Liability Act of 1851
- Death on the High Seas Act
- Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act
Each of these admiralty laws provides a different set of protections for workers. You may qualify for benefits under one or more of these Acts. You may also have the right to pursue compensation privately through a civil lawsuit if you were injured due to a third party’s negligence or wrongful actions.
Our St. Petersburg maritime accident attorneys will carefully review your situation, identify your legal options, and help you execute a plan to maximize your recovery.
Representing Injured Workers in All Types of Maritime Accident Cases
Maritime accidents involve the navigation, operation, maintenance, or handling of seaworthy vessels. Typically, these types of accidents involve commercial operations at sea, such as fishing, drilling, diving, or cargo hauling.
Whether you load cargo, operate heavy machinery, work as a ship’s mechanic, or have another role in support of a navigable vessel, you risk suffering serious injuries when there’s an accident. Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers is here to help you seek compensation when you get hurt on the job.
Our St. Petersburg maritime accident lawyers can advocate for seamen injured in:
- Slip and fall accidents
- Fires and explosions
- Falling cargo accidents
- Onshore accidents
- Collisions
- Crane accidents
- Heavy machinery accidents
- Loading accidents
- Shipbuilding accidents
- Vessel repair accidents
- Falling overboard accidents
- Tugboat accidents
- Commercial fishing accidents
- Oil tanker accidents
- Harbor construction accidents
- Barge accidents
- Cargo hauling accidents
Maritime accident cases aren’t like other types of personal injury cases. They require an in-depth knowledge of federal law and procedure, as well as experience navigating federal injury claims. Make Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers your first call and put our 119+ years of collective experience to work for you.
What Is My St. Petersburg Maritime Accident Claim Worth?
Several factors can affect the potential value of your maritime injury claim. At Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers, we’ll carefully review the facts of your case and work to ensure that you are able to recover the full value of your maritime injury claim.
Important considerations include:
- The types of injuries you’ve suffered
- Whether your maritime accident injuries are catastrophic
- If you’re temporarily or permanently disabled
- The degree to which you can continue working
- How your income or earning capacity has changed
- The maritime laws that apply to your case
- Costs of medical treatment and rehabilitation
Don’t hesitate to contact our St. Petersburg, FL, law office to discuss the details of your maritime accident. It’s always best to have a sense of what your personal injury case might be worth. That way, you’ll know whether a settlement offer you receive is fair or not.
Helping You Seek Compensation for All of Your Maritime Accident Injuries
The compensation you may be able to recover through a maritime injury claim will depend on which law(s) apply to your case.
The Jones Act
The Jones Act, also known as the Merchant Marine Act, allows maritime workers to sue their employer directly when they’re injured on the job. If you can prove that your accident was the result of your employer’s negligence or reckless actions, you can recover compensation, known as maintenance and cure.
Maintenance is compensation for day-to-day living expenses to offset your loss of income. Cure is compensation for medical treatment you receive for your injuries.
Longshoremen & Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act
The Longshoremen & Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) protects workers employed in “longshore, harbor, or other maritime occupations on or adjacent to the navigable waters of the United States.”
When you file a claim for benefits through the LHWCA, you can receive compensation for:
- Medical treatment
- Disability benefits, including temporary partial disability, temporary total disability, permanent partial disability, and permanent total disability
- Vocational rehabilitation
- Death benefits
Benefits are subject to limits. For instance, disability benefits generally equal two-thirds of an injured maritime worker’s average weekly wage, subject to federal statutory limits. For claims filed through September 30, 2024, the maximum weekly disability benefit is $1,926.58.
Florida Civil Tort Law
Just because you work in the maritime industry doesn’t mean you give up rights granted to you by the State of Florida. If you get hurt on a vessel, dock, or harbor because of someone’s negligent, reckless, or intentionally harmful actions, you may have the right to hold them personally responsible for your injuries and damages.
Through a personal injury lawsuit, you can seek both economic and non-economic damages for:
- Current and future medical bills
- Lost wages and benefits
- Disability
- Diminished earning capacity
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Disfigurement and scarring
- Loss of consortium
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Reduced quality of life
- Chronic physical pain
- Inconvenience
Filing a lawsuit also gives you the opportunity to seek punitive damages if the defendant’s actions were intentional, malicious, or grossly negligent.
Our experienced maritime accident lawyers in St. Petersburg, FL, will help you explore your rights and pursue all of the compensation available to you under both federal and Florida state law.
How Long Will I Have To Pursue Compensation After a Maritime Accident in Florida?
It’s important to take prompt action if you’ve been injured in a maritime accident off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida. If you don’t file your claim within the applicable statute of limitations, you will lose the right to recover the compensation you genuinely need.
The statute of limitations varies, depending on how you’re going to pursue compensation:
You will have:
- Three years to seek maintenance and cure benefits under the Jones Act
- Two years to file a personal injury lawsuit for damages under Florida state law
- 30 days to report your maritime injury to your employer if you plan on seeking benefits under the LHWCA
Protect your rights by reaching out to our experienced personal injury attorneys in St. Petersburg, Florida, today. We can begin to strategize your recovery as soon as you ask for our help.
Schedule a Free Consultation With an Experienced St. Petersburg Maritime Accident Lawyer
As an injured maritime worker in St. Petersburg, Florida, you have rights. Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers can help you demand accountability and compensation as you get back on your feet.
Contact our St. Petersburg maritime injury lawyers at (727) 314-5988 to learn about the benefits of working with our award-winning team. We’re ready to put over 119 years of combined experience behind your case. Schedule your free consultation today.
