Passengers and recreational boaters are those Seattle-region residents who participate in recreational fishing and boating activities. This also includes kayakers, jet-skiers, and paddle boarders. If you are any one of these and you sustain an injury while on a waterway or lake, your personal injury case falls under maritime law.

In this category, passengers make-up the majority of maritime personal injury cases.

As a passenger, it is important to understand that vessel owners or operators owe a duty of care to you.

This duty of care has two elements:
The vessel owner must provide a reasonable amount of security against physical harm.

The vessel owner must ensure the ship, including its equipment and crew, are in working condition and seaworthy.
If you, as a passenger, hope to file a claim against a boat owner, you must be able to demonstrate a few things:

• The vessel owner had a duty of care towards you.
• The duty of care was breached.
• The breach is what caused the damages you incurred.
• You can produce proof of damages (e.g. medical bills, wage loss, pain and suffering).

Do you think you are able to demonstrate these four elements? Get in touch with Brain Injury Law of Seattle to begin your case!

Longshoremen are those maritime workers who manage ports and waterways to ensure ship traffic flows smoothly and efficiently. This category of worker includes harbor laborers, stevedores, ship-breakers, ship engineers, ship repairmen, and marine construction workers.

If you, as a longshoreman, have sustained an injury on the job, then you have access to the United States Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA or USL&H). This Act ensures you are provided with wage replacement while recovering from your injury and also makes sure your medical costs are covered.

Unfortunately, the USL&H Act does not enable you to bring action against your employer for causing your injury. If you would like to bring a lawsuit against your employer, please reach out to our legal team at Brain Injury Law of Seattle. We would love to help build your case.

Seamen are those who work aboard a vessel as crew members. These kinds of jobs can be extremely challenging, not only physically, but also due to the risk of bad weather, unseaworthy vessels, and the carelessness of other crew members. For seamen, injuries are not uncommon.

If you, as a seaman, have been injured on the job, there are a number of legal statutes and common laws a maritime injury attorney can help you rally for damages. These include:

• Jones Act: Orders employers to provide care for injured employees.
• General Maritime Law: Allows you to sue the shipowner or employer who caused your injury.
• Doctrine of Unseaworthiness: Allows you to take action against shipowners who ignored unseaworthy ship conditions.
• Doctrine of Maintenance and Cure: States employers must continue to provide wages to you while you recover from your injuries.