Suffering from a maritime injury can be stressful. 

Depending on the severity of the accident, you may be suffering from severe injury and side effects. Knowing what to do after a maritime injury can help you get back to a bit of normalcy – and maybe receive compensation for your injury, as well. 

Especially if you want to pursue legal action in response to the injury, you must act quickly to give yourself the best chance of fair compensation and representation.

Here at the New Orleans, Louisiana-based Maritime Injury Law Firm, we recommend seeking medical treatment and reporting the accident right away. Additionally, seek legal advice from an experienced maritime injury lawyer before signing anything to make sure you get the representation you deserve.

Here’s a closer look at what you should do immediately after suffering from a maritime injury.

The very first thing after suffering any type of injury, including maritime injury, is to seek medical treatment right away. 

Maritime injuries are often very serious and can lead to lifelong consequences if it is not treated properly. Even if you do not think the injury is that serious, you should still seek medical attention to ensure there is nothing more serious at play. Additionally, it’s important to seek treatment if you want to pursue legal action. 

To ensure the examination is as unbiased as possible, try to see your personal physician, not a physician hired by the company. Though you may assume that your company is on your side, this is not always the case, which means a physician provided by the company may be tempted to give a more favorable evaluation to help save the company money.

Talk to your own physician right away to set up an appointment and get treated.

It’s imperative that you report the accident to your supervisor as soon as possible. 

If you wait or fail to report the accident at all, insurance companies may argue that your injury was not very serious or related to the job. This argument will make it difficult to get fair compensation.

Reporting the accident does not mean signing any agreements or talking to the insurance company. You should never do this alone (which we will cover next). 

Still, you want to report the accident to your superior as soon as possible so that the accident itself is traceable.

Even if a coworker reports the incident, it’s always best to report the incident yourself, as well.

Unless there is a serious medical emergency that prevents you from reporting the accident, take the initiative to report it so that the full truth and severity are reported.

Seeking professional maritime injury legal advice is just as important as seeking medical treatment. 

A Louisiana attorney with experience in maritime law will be able to help you navigate the legal process and give you the advice you need to make decisions about your next steps.

Don’t just select any lawyer or attorney, though. Be sure to hire a Louisiana attorney and law firm that has experience in maritime injury and maritime law. A maritime injury attorney will know the ins and outs of this specific field of the law to help you get the compensation you deserve.

After you suffer from a maritime injury, a physician will help you get the medical treatment you need and provide documentation for the accident, as will reporting the accident to your superior.

Hiring a maritime injury attorney will help you get fair compensation so that you can move forward with your life. For a free consultation to discuss your options, contact The Maritime Injury Law Firm today.