How Can a Maritime Injury Attorney in Mississippi Help with Your Recent Injury?

A Mississippi maritime injury lawyer is almost as vital to your recovery from an accident at sea or onshore as the emergency and medical treatment. This is because the costs associated with accidents and time away from work might actually affect your recovery. By engaging a Mississippi maritime attorney in your case, you can recover those costs or get a portion of your wages restored while you convalesce or adjust to living with a long-term disability.

At Richard Schwartz & Associates, P.A., our recognized maritime injury lawyers in Mississippi advise that in the earliest stages following an accident you should follow several important steps:

• Employer notification—As early as possible, tell your supervisor about the accident. Request Form LS-1, which authorizes treatment by a doctor of your choice.
• Get treated—Any delay in treatment might be considered a contributing factor to disability that is not the fault of the employer. This could reduce the award, regardless of the skills of your Mississippi maritime injury attorneys.
• Notify via Form LS-201—Injuries and deaths need to be formally reported to your employer within 30 days of the accident. If the injury is not apparent until later, such as when hearing loss or an occupational disease is discovered, more time is allowed. Your maritime injury attorneys in Mississippi or the Office of Workers Compensation Programs can provide additional information on this process.
• File a written claim for compensation—Within one year after the date of injury or last payment of compensation, whichever is later, a claim must be filed. Most filings benefit from the assistance of Mississippi maritime injury lawyers. Survivor benefits must be filed within one year after the date of death. Certain occupational disease cases can be reported up to two years after discovery.

When is it time to contact a maritime injury lawyer in Mississippi?

Form LS-201 is required within 30 days of the accident, with exceptions for injuries or disease that are not immediately apparent. You are advised to engage an attorney or law firm with a proven case history in maritime and admiralty laws as soon as possible. Often, insurance companies for employers and other responsible parties will contact you early on, hoping you will agree to a low-level settlement. Instead, you need to protect yourself from making hasty decisions. Maritime injury attorneys in Mississippi and other experts provided by your law firm can identify the true, long-term costs of your injuries.

Engaging a maritime law firm in such cases comes at no financial risk. Mississippi maritime injury attorneys work on a contingency basis—you only pay attorney fees when a fair settlement is reached.

One call...that's all

One call is all you need to handle your Mississippi maritime law case. Call Richard Schwartz & Associates, P.A. at 1-800-844-1215, or contact us online.