The Port of Valdez, located at the head of a fjord on the eastern side of the Prince William Sound, is among the United States’ top 25 water ports by tonnage transported. An extremely busy port processing millions of tons of cargo annually, it is flourishing with commercial activity.
The Port of Valdez is a fishing port that supports both commercial and sport fishing. The oil from the Trans-Alaska pipeline, ending in Valdez, is loaded onto ships at the Valdez oil terminal. Further, Valdez is a port of call in the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system, which supports some sightseeing, deep-sea fishing, and heli-skiing tourist activities in the area.
Alaska’s seas and waterways, including those at the Port of Valdez, present great dangers, and many seamen, fishermen, and other maritime workers may face injury or death as the result of vessel negligence. The people who work in Valdez keep the state’s economy afloat and support the welfare of all of its residents. Maritime workers need full support and safety prioritization as they do this vital work, and there are several federal statutes and ancient common laws that are intended to safeguard mariners in the event of injury or illness in service of a vessel. An experienced Port of Valdez maritime lawyer from Mariner Law, PLLC can support clients as they navigate their options.
Ship crewmembers and maritime employees injured or killed as a result of negligence or unseaworthiness are likely entitled to compensation under the Jones Act and general maritime law. Mariner Law, PLLC represents clients from the Port of Valdez and surrounding areas on a wide variety of maritime personal injury cases.
The Jones Act requires maritime employers to provide maritime employees a safe place to work. It states that seamen can obtain a claim for an injury if they can demonstrate that the vessel’s owners, operators, officers, or fellow mariner was negligent in causing the harm. Another maritime doctrine, Maintenance and Cure, may favorably apply to injured mariners by allowing for compensation of overhead costs and medical medical expenses while the injured mariner is on the mend. Reasonable safety precautions should always be in place on vessels and in the maritime industry in general. Mariners are essential workers that deserve protection as wards of the admiralty court. Mariner Law, PLLC understands the claims procedures for maritime injuries and knows how to help you receive Jones Act, Unseaworthiness, and Maintenance and Cure benefits and damages. Contact a firm offshore injury lawyer to learn more.
If you have been injured on a vessel by any of the following, you could be entitled to compensation:
Falling in the water
Slips, trips, and falls
Injuries in enclosed spaces
Burns
Falls from height
Repetitive motion injuries
Dockside injuries
Amputations
Lacerations
Toxic exposure
Wrongful death
There are powerful maritime laws under federal statutes and age-old common laws that pre-date the U.S. With the help of a Jones Act lawyer, these laws may inure to the benefit of injured mariners to ensure receipt of fair and adequate compensation for workplace injuries suffered at the hands of a negligent maritime employer. To find out what Mariner Law, PLLC can do in your case, call (253) 600-2531. A free no-obligation consultation with an Alaska admiralty attorney may help you understand where to go from here.