Washington State Maritime Attorneys

Washington State Coastal and Inland Waterways

Coastal and inland waterways play an enormous role in the economy and culture of the state of Washington. The state has 75 port districts that bring and receive goods from around the world.

Cities on Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands, and on the Olympic Peninsula are connected by the largest ferry system in the U.S. Seattle, Olympia, and Tacoma, which are inland at least 50 miles from the Pacific Ocean, are port for large ships and ocean-going vessels.

With its 3,200 miles of coastline, 50,000 miles of rivers and streams, and 7,800 lakes, Washington is home to hundreds of men and women who work on navigable vessels. These include steam ships, ferries, fishing boats, barges, tugboats, sightseeing boats, and cruise ships to name only a few.

The Jones Act

Subject to the conditions of the Jones Act, workers on boats and ships may claim compensation for injuries sustained while doing their jobs. The Jones Act originally was passed in 1920 as the Merchant Marine Act. Workers eligible for maritime injury include sailors, crewmembers, seamen and others who are injured on the job while at sea or a doing a job associated with a voyage.

The Act is a set of maritime laws governing the rights of workers and their loved ones to be compensated for maritime injury or loss of life. Among its regulations, the Act requires that vessels be built and flagged as U.S. boats, owned and operated by U.S. citizens, carry a crew of whom 75 per cent must be citizens of the U.S, and be within a specified distance from shore. The right to compensation also depends upon the duties of the worker.

Our Maritime Law Experts Can Help You

If you or a loved one is injured during the course of doing your duties as a maritime worker, and you and the boat meet the requirements of the Jones Act, you can seek compensation through our injury lawyers. It is important to obtain counsel from an expert particularly knowledgeable about the extremely complex set of laws governing maritime injuries in Washington State. For example, at times, federal and state jurisdictions governing maritime injuries overlap. We can offer you just this kind of expertise.

The types of injuries eligible under certain admiralty laws for compensation include:

Medical bills, including operations, hospital stays, and medicine
Permanent disfigurements such as irreversible damage to the arms, legs, face, hearing, or sight
Loss of earning capacity
Lost wages
Mental anguish

The complexity of maritime and admiralty law requires the expertise of attorneys particularly qualified to advise maritime workers about their rights. If you have been injured as a worker on a vessel and believe you are due compensation for maritime injury, we can help you. Contact a Washington maritime lawyer by calling (888) 327-5215.

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Washington State Maritime Attorneys

Washington State Coastal and Inland Waterways

The Jones Act

Our Maritime Law Experts Can Help You

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