Lost a limb in a maritime accident? Contact a maritime amputation injury lawyer to seek the lifetime compensation you deserve.
A maritime amputation changes everything about your ability to work and earn. When machinery fails, when safety protocols break down, when a mooring line snaps or a winch guard is missing, the consequences are permanent. You face immediate decisions about surgery, prosthetics, and whether you can ever return to the deck or terminal. Meanwhile, your employer’s insurance company is already working to limit what they pay for your lost limb.
The maritime injury attorneys at Law Offices of Charles D. Naylor understands the specific challenges maritime workers face after an amputation. We understand how the Longshore Act’s scheduled awards may not reflect the actual long-term costs of living with a prosthetic. With over 50 years of exclusive maritime law practice, we handle the evidence preservation, the federal filing deadlines, and the insurance company tactics that threaten your benefits. You focus on learning to navigate life with your injury while we secure the compensation that accounts for every surgery, every prosthetic replacement, and every dollar of lost maritime wages ahead.
Contact us to schedule a free consultation and discover how a maritime amputation injury lawyer can help you seek the compensation and justice you deserve.
How Our Maritime Amputation Injury Lawyers Can Help You
Losing a limb on the job means facing mounting medical bills, weeks or months without a paycheck, and the very real possibility that you cannot return to the work you have done your whole career. The Law Offices of Charles D. Naylor represents injured maritime workers and is prepared to fight for the full compensation you deserve.
We step in immediately so you do not have to figure out the legal process while managing your recovery. Here is what we do from the moment you call us:
- Evidence preservation: We send legal notices to vessel owners, terminal operators, and contractors demanding they protect safety logs, maintenance records, and surveillance footage before it disappears.
- Medical coordination: We connect you with orthopedic and prosthetic specialists and protect your right to choose your own treating physician.
- Benefits protection: We secure your maintenance and cure or Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act benefits so your bills are covered while we build your case.
- Adjuster defense: We handle every communication from insurance adjusters so you are never pressured into a statement or a settlement that does not cover your real losses.
Which Maritime Law Covers Your Amputation?
The law that applies to your case depends on your job title and where the accident happened. This distinction determines your rights, your benefits, and the full scope of compensation you can pursue.
| Law | Who It Covers | What It Provides |
| Jones Act | Seamen working on vessels in navigation | Right to sue employer for negligence, plus maintenance and cure |
| LHWCA | Longshore, harbor, and shipyard workers | Medical care, wage replacement, and scheduled awards for limb loss |
| OCSLA | Workers on fixed offshore platforms | Extends LHWCA coverage to the outer continental shelf |
| Section 905(b) | LHWCA workers injured by a vessel’s negligence | Separate negligence lawsuit against the vessel owner |
| DOHSA | Families of workers killed beyond 3 nautical miles | Financial loss damages for surviving family members |
If you are unsure which law applies to you, that is exactly the kind of question we answer in a free consultation.
Who Is Liable for a Maritime Amputation?
Multiple parties often share responsibility for a single accident. We investigate every angle so that no liable party escapes accountability.
Your Employer Under the Jones Act
If you are a seaman, the Jones Act allows you to sue your employer for negligence. The standard is favorable to injured workers: even slight employer negligence, such as skipping safety training or running a short-handed crew, is enough to trigger liability.
The Vessel Owner for Unseaworthiness
A vessel owner has an absolute duty to provide a seaworthy ship and safe equipment. A winch with a missing guard, a frayed mooring line, or a defective capstan can all make a vessel unseaworthy, and the owner is liable for any injuries that result.
In one amputation case we handled for a longshore worker at the Port of Los Angeles, a capstan drum with a missing safety guard caught the worker’s hand during a mooring operation. Our investigation found the guard had been removed during a maintenance procedure two weeks before the accident and never replaced. The maintenance log contained a notation about the missing guard that had been signed off by the terminal safety supervisor, establishing that the company had direct knowledge of the defect before our client was hurt.
Third-Party Vessel Owners Under Section 905(b)
If you are a longshore or harbor worker and a vessel’s negligence caused your injury, you can file a separate lawsuit against the vessel owner under Section 905(b) of the LHWCA. This is in addition to the benefits you receive from your employer.
Equipment Manufacturers
When defective machinery causes an amputation, the manufacturer can be held liable. We pursue product liability claims when emergency stops fail, machine guards are absent, or equipment is designed in a way that puts workers at risk.
What Compensation Can You Recover?
Your total recovery depends on which laws apply and how many parties share liability for your injury.
Under the Jones Act and third-party claims, you may recover:
- Full past and future lost wages, including lost earning capacity
- All medical expenses, from emergency surgery to long-term rehabilitation
- The cost of your prosthetic device and every replacement over your lifetime
- Compensation for physical pain and mental suffering
- Punitive damages in cases of extreme or reckless conduct
Under the LHWCA, you may receive:
- Complete medical care for the life of your injury
- Temporary total disability benefits at two-thirds of your average weekly wage
- A permanent disability rating with scheduled awards specifically for limb loss
- Vocational rehabilitation if you need to train for a different type of work
How We Calculate the True Cost of a Maritime Amputation
An amputation is not just a one-time medical event. The financial impact continues for the rest of your life, and we make sure every dollar of that future cost is included in your claim.
We work with life care planners, vocational economists, and prosthetic specialists to build a detailed projection of your future needs. Prosthetic devices generally require periodic replacement and maintenance.
Beyond that, we account for home modifications, adaptive vehicle equipment, occupational therapy, and any retraining costs if you cannot return to maritime work.
One thing we consistently see in maritime amputation cases under the LHWCA is that the scheduled award for a lost limb, calculated under Section 908(c), often falls well short of the worker’s actual long-term financial losses, particularly for workers earning above the state average wage. We work with vocational economists and life care planners to document the gap between the scheduled award and total career losses, which strengthens the third-party claim under Section 905(b) and can significantly increase the final recovery.
Maritime Amputation Cases We Handle
The Law Offices of Charles D. Naylor represents injured workers at the Port of Los Angeles, the Port of Long Beach, and in maritime environments around the world. We have handled amputation cases involving:
- Winch, capstan, and mooring line accidents
- Crane and rigging failures
- Defective or unguarded machinery
- Crush injuries between a vessel and a dock
- Dropped loads and falling objects
- Vessel and vehicle collisions on terminal grounds
We represent longshoremen, shipyard workers, Jones Act seamen, offshore oil rig workers, commercial fishermen, and crane operators.
What to Do After a Maritime Amputation
The steps you take immediately after your injury directly affect what evidence is available and what compensation you can recover.
Step 1: Get Medical Care and Report the Injury in Writing
Get emergency treatment first. As soon as you are able, report the accident to your supervisor in writing and keep a copy of the report for your own records.
Step 2: Preserve Evidence and Identify Witnesses
If a coworker can safely photograph the accident scene and the equipment involved, ask them to do so right away. Write down the names and contact information of anyone who witnessed the incident.
Step 3: Refuse Recorded Statements and Premature Paperwork
Do not give a recorded statement to your employer or their insurance company. Do not sign any document presented to you by your employer or a claims adjuster before speaking with an attorney.
Step 4: Call a Maritime Amputation Attorney
Early legal involvement protects your deadlines, locks in the evidence, and puts someone in your corner before the other side gets organized. Call the Law Offices of Charles D. Naylor before you speak to any insurance representative.
How Long Do You Have to File?
Maritime law has strict filing deadlines. Missing them can permanently end your right to compensation.
- LHWCA notice: You must notify your employer within 30 days of the injury.
- LHWCA formal claim: You have one year from the date of injury to file.
- Jones Act lawsuit: You have three years from the date of injury to file.
- DOHSA wrongful death: You have three years from the date of death to file.
Evidence also disappears quickly in maritime cases. Surveillance footage is overwritten, witnesses move on, and equipment gets repaired or replaced. The sooner you call us, the more we can protect.
Why Choose the Law Offices of Charles D. Naylor?
- 50 years of maritime focus: You get an attorney who has spent an entire career on maritime law, not a general practice lawyer handling your case for the first time.
- National recognition: Our AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell and repeated Southern California Super Lawyers selections mean major defendants and their insurers take our cases seriously.
- Local presence: Our office sits at the center of the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach, giving us direct familiarity with the terminals, vessels, and companies involved in your case.
- Personal attention: You have direct access to your attorney throughout your case, not a rotating team of paralegals.
- No fee unless we win: We handle every maritime amputation case on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.
Our firm obtained a favorable settlement on behalf of a longshore worker who suffered an amputation under the LHWCA. We have obtained jury verdicts in wrongful-death cases involving longshore workers. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes, but they reflect what thorough preparation and trial-ready advocacy can achieve.
FAQs: Maritime Amputation Injury Lawyer
Am I covered by the Jones Act or the LHWCA if I lost a limb on a vessel?
Your coverage depends on your role. If you are a seaman who works primarily aboard a vessel, the Jones Act likely applies, if you are a longshore or harbor worker, the LHWCA is your primary source of benefits.
Can I receive LHWCA benefits and also sue the vessel owner under Section 905(b)?
Yes. You can collect LHWCA benefits from your employer and file a separate negligence lawsuit against a third-party vessel owner at the same time.
Do I have to treat with the doctor my employer assigns after a maritime amputation?
Under the LHWCA, you have the right to choose your own treating physician after your initial emergency care. We help you exercise that right from the start.
Does the LHWCA pay for prosthetic replacements over my lifetime?
Yes. The LHWCA requires that all reasonable and necessary medical care be covered, including the ongoing costs of prosthetic devices and their future replacements.
What happens to my claim if I was partially at fault for my amputation?
Maritime law uses comparative fault, meaning your compensation is reduced in proportion to your share of fault but is not eliminated entirely. You can still recover a significant amount even if you share some responsibility.
Will the Law Offices of Charles D. Naylor send evidence preservation letters immediately after I call?
Yes. Sending formal preservation notices to vessel owners, employers, and terminal operators is one of the very first actions we take after you retain us.
Contact a Maritime Amputation Attorney Today
If you or a family member has suffered an amputation injury in a maritime accident, the Law Offices of Charles D. Naylor is ready to help. Our Long Beach office is located at 111 W. Ocean Blvd, Suite 400, Long Beach, CA 90802. Call us toll-free at 888-440-5829 or locally at (310) 514-1200 for a free and confidential case evaluation. There is no fee unless we win your case.
