Alexandria Dock Worker Accident Lawyer

Staying Safe on the Job

Your employer has an obligation to provide and maintain safe working conditions. Our Alexandria personal injury lawyers can determine if your employer met their duty of care. Working on the docks provides many opportunities for workplace injuries, especially if your employer fails to:

• Provide workers with proper safety training
• Provide workers with proper safety equipment
• Regularly maintain, repair, and inspect the equipment
• Prioritize safety over speed and expense

Even if your employer took all legal and reasonable precautions, you could still be injured by:

• Falling objects
• Slip or trip and fall accidents
• Motor vehicle accidents
• Falls from heights
• Falling into, between, or behind equipment

Your injury may be sufficient grounds to collect compensation under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA).

If you believe your injury was preventable and that your employer did not take proper measures to keep you safe, you may file a lawsuit against them. An experienced workers’ compensation lawyer can help you understand your rights and recover the compensation you deserve.

Applying for the Compensation You Need

If you were injured at work, the LHWCA gives you a right to file a negligence-based lawsuit against your employer. You may also have the option of filing a lawsuit against a fellow employee or some other negligent party involved in your accident. Your injury may qualify you to recover economic damages (e.g., compensation for financial losses), non-economic damages (e.g., compensation for physical and emotional suffering), or both. Examples of the types of damages you can sue for include:

• Medical costs: the money you spent or will spend to treat your workplace injuries
• Funeral costs: the amount it cost you to lay your loved one to rest after they died from their workplace injuries
• Loss of income: the wages you could not earn because your injuries forced you to stay home or work fewer hours
• Loss of employment: the fact that your injuries cost you your job and/or forced you out of the field that you trained for
• Pain and suffering: the physical and psychological trauma you sustained due to your injury
• Disability: the permanent loss of physical and/or mental ability
• Loss of society or companionship: the fact that your close relationship with the deceased has been prematurely severed
• Reduced quality of life: the fact that your injuries prevent you from ever resuming your old lifestyle

If you lost a family member in a fatal dock accident, you could claim compensation for your losses. Our wrongful death lawyers in Alexandria will review your case and determine what type of damages you can recover.