Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act Claims

What is a Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act Claim?

The Longshore Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) is designed to protect workers who have suffered any type of injuries while working for a company that performs maritime work where the injury is sustained on or near any navigable water of the United States which would include the ocean, Long Island Sound, rivers and lakes. An example of a LHWCA claim would be a worker who is injured while performing work on a submarine that is in dry dock at the naval shipyard in Groton, Connecticut or a worker who is injured while performing construction work on a yacht that is being constructed at a shipyard, among many other types of maritime related injuries.

The United States Department of Labor describes The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act as an act intended to provide medical benefits, compensation for lost wages, and rehabilitation services to longshoremen, harbor workers, and other maritime workers who are injured during the course of employment or suffer from diseases caused or worsened by conditions of employment. Several other statutes extend the provisions of the Act to cover other classes of private-industry workers. These include workers engaged in the extraction of natural resources of the outer continental shelf, employees on American defense bases, and those working under contracts with the U.S. government for defense or public-works projects, outside of the continental United States.

In certain circumstances in which a death occurred the LHWCA calls for payments to be made to the widow or children of the deceased for the remainder of their life, or until remarriage. LHWCA cases of this type can be very complicated and therefore it is important that you contact an experienced attorney as soon as you can. If you wait you may lose your right to recover for your losses.

If you have sustained an injury while working for a maritime employer, such as the 50 year old Sudanese man who sustained an injury to his back during the construction of a mega-yacht in Bridgeport, Connecticut resulting in a settlement of $380,000 (Maritime Construction Worker Settles for $380,000) and you would like further information on how to pursue a claim under the LHWCA, please fill out the contact form or call us at (203) 250-7212. We will be happy to assist you with your claim and answer any questions you may have regarding your case.