Suffered a head injury in a maritime accident? Contact the top maritime head injury lawyer to seek justice and compensation.
A head injury in a maritime environment can have serious consequences that affect your daily life. From memory loss and cognitive difficulties to chronic headaches, dizziness, and personality changes, the effects often require extensive medical care and rehabilitation. While you’re managing medical treatment, insurance companies downplay your symptoms, rush you toward settlement, or deny the true impact of your condition. Maritime head injury cases demand detailed medical evidence and expert analysis to prove long-term effects. Without experienced representation, you risk accepting far less than your case is actually worth.
At The Law Offices of Charles D. Naylor, our maritime injury lawyers understand the complex nature of head injury cases and the evidence required to prove the full impact of your condition. We work closely with neurologists, neuropsychologists, and medical experts to document both immediate and long-term effects of your injury and support a strong claim for compensation. With more than 50 years of experience serving injured maritime workers, we are prepared to challenge aggressive insurers and fight for the recovery you deserve.
Contact us today for a free consultation and discover how our maritime head injury lawyer can help you seek the compensation and justice you deserve.
How the Law Offices of Charles D. Naylor Helps Maritime Head Injury Victims
A head injury at sea or on a dock can leave you unable to work, struggling with medical bills, and dealing with an insurance company that is already working to minimize your claim. We step in immediately to protect your rights so you can focus on getting better.
From our Long Beach office near the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach, we represent injured seamen, longshore workers, and cruise passengers in complex maritime injury cases. Here is what we do from day one:
- Evidence preservation: We send legal preservation letters within hours to secure vessel logs, security footage, and incident reports before they disappear.
- Medical coordination: We connect you with neurologists and brain injury specialists who know how to document the full extent of your injury.
- Benefits recovery: We demand your maintenance and cure benefits so your medical bills and daily living expenses are covered while you recover.
- Insurer management: We handle every call from adjusters so you are not pressured into giving a recorded statement that damages your claim.
“Charles Naylor and his staff are quick, brilliant and very persuasive no matter your side. He also has the unusual ability to keep you calm in all circumstances – which is very important. In the end he delivers – and more than you might expect. The best in maritime law that I’ve heard of and used! I owe him a thank you every month!” – JMK, Cruise Injury Client
Call (310) 514-1200 or complete our online form to schedule a free case evaluation today.
Why You Need a Specialized Maritime Head Injury Lawyer
Maritime injury claims are governed by federal law, not state workers’ compensation rules. General personal injury attorneys rarely understand the Jones Act, the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA), or unseaworthiness claims, and that gap in knowledge can cost you significantly without a dedicated maritime lawyer reviewing your case.
Insurance companies know this. They move quickly after an accident to limit their exposure, often labeling serious brain injuries as minor concussions that require minimal treatment. Without a maritime brain injury lawyer who understands how to document and fight these claims, you risk accepting far less than your injury is actually worth.
There is also the issue of multiple liable parties. Your employer, the vessel owner, an equipment manufacturer, and outside contractors may all share responsibility for what happened to you. We investigate every angle to make sure every responsible party is held accountable.
What Counts as a Maritime Head or Brain Injury?
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is damage to the brain caused by an external force, such as a fall, a blow, or a sudden impact. You do not need to lose consciousness to have a serious brain injury, and a normal CT scan or MRI does not mean you are uninjured.
Common maritime brain injuries include:
- Concussion: The brain moves inside the skull upon impact, causing bruising and inflammation that may not show on imaging.
- Contusion: A direct bruise on the brain tissue itself, often caused by a severe blow to the head.
- Diffuse axonal injury: Widespread tearing of the brain’s nerve fibers, typically caused by a violent jolt or sudden change in motion.
- Skull fracture: A break in the bone surrounding the brain, which can occur when a worker is struck by falling cargo or heavy equipment.
What we see consistently in maritime head injury cases filed in the Central District of California is that the most damaging early step is often not the injury itself but the initial medical examination on the vessel.
Ship medics rarely have the training or equipment to diagnose traumatic brain injuries properly, and a notation in the ship’s medical log that says ‘minor headache, returned to duty’ is exactly the evidence the defense will use to argue your injury was not serious.
We request the vessel’s medical log and the ship’s medical officer records in our first preservation demand, before the vessel leaves port and those records become difficult to access.
Common Causes of Maritime Head Injuries
The ports, vessels, and shipyards around Long Beach are high-risk work environments. Heavy machinery, moving cargo, wet surfaces, and unpredictable sea conditions create daily hazards that lead to common maritime injuries among workers and passengers alike.
Head injuries in maritime settings most often result from:
- Falls through open hatches, on slippery decks, or from ladders and gangways
- Being struck by swinging crane loads, rigging, or unsecured cargo
- Mooring line snap-backs and sudden winch failures
- Vessel collisions, groundings, or sudden lurching in rough weather
- Tools or equipment falling from overhead in engine rooms or confined spaces
Head Injury Symptoms to Watch for After a Maritime Accident
Brain injury symptoms frequently develop hours or days after the initial accident. Many workers push through the early discomfort, assume they are fine, and only seek help when symptoms become impossible to ignore.
Physical symptoms include persistent headaches, dizziness, nausea, sensitivity to light or noise, and problems with balance or vision.
Cognitive symptoms include difficulty concentrating, memory gaps, slowed thinking, and trouble following multi-step instructions at work.
Emotional and sleep symptoms include sudden irritability, mood changes, depression, and disrupted sleep patterns that leave you exhausted during the day.
Keep a written record of every symptom you notice, including the date and how it affected your ability to work or complete daily tasks. Ask family members to note any changes in your behavior, since TBI can affect self-awareness.
What Federal Laws Protect You After a Maritime Head Injury?
Your legal rights depend on your job and where the injury occurred. Federal maritime law creates several overlapping protections that work differently depending on whether you are a seaman, a dock worker, or a passenger.
| Law | Who It Covers | Key Benefit |
| Jones Act | Seamen and crew members | Right to sue your employer for negligence and recover full damages |
| Unseaworthiness | Crew on defective vessels | Strict liability against the vessel owner without proving negligence |
| Maintenance and Cure | Injured seamen | No-fault daily living and medical benefits until maximum recovery |
| LHWCA | Longshore and shipyard workers | Wage replacement, medical benefits, and third-party claims under Section 905(b) |
Families who lose a loved one in a fatal maritime accident may also have rights under the Death on the High Seas Act, which covers incidents that occur more than three nautical miles from shore.
What To Do After a Maritime Head Injury
The actions you take in the first 30 days after your accident directly affect the strength of your maritime injury claim. Missing a reporting deadline or giving the wrong statement can give insurers grounds to deny your case entirely.
Step 1: Get Medical Care and Report the Injury in Writing
See a doctor immediately, even if you feel only minor discomfort. Ship medics often lack the training to evaluate brain injuries properly, so seek a full neurological evaluation on shore as soon as possible. Report your injury to your employer in writing within 30 days to preserve your rights under the LHWCA.
Step 2: Document Your Symptoms and Gather Evidence
Start a daily journal describing your symptoms, how they affect your ability to work, and any changes in your mood or memory. If you are physically able, photograph the hazard that caused your injury and collect the names and contact information of any witnesses.
Step 3: Avoid Recorded Statements and Company Doctors
Do not give a recorded statement to your employer’s insurance company before speaking with an attorney. These recordings are used to find inconsistencies that weaken your claim. You also generally have the right to choose your own treating physician rather than using a company-selected doctor.
Step 4: Contact the Law Offices of Charles D. Naylor
We take over the legal process so you can focus entirely on your medical treatment. We send preservation letters, coordinate specialist appointments, and shield you from insurer pressure from the moment you call.
Who Is Liable for a Maritime Head Injury?
More than one party is often responsible for a head injury at sea or in port. We investigate every potential source of liability to make sure you recover the full amount you are owed.
- Employer negligence: Under the Jones Act, your employer is liable if poor training, unsafe working conditions, or inadequate supervision contributed to your injury.
- Vessel owner liability: If defective equipment or missing safety features made the vessel unseaworthy, the vessel owner is strictly liable for your damages.
- Third-party vessel claims: Longshore workers injured by a vessel’s negligence can pursue additional compensation against the vessel owner under Section 905(b) of the LHWCA.
- Equipment manufacturers: If a defective crane, winch, or piece of safety gear caused your injury, the manufacturer can be held responsible through a product liability claim.
What Compensation Can You Recover for a Maritime Head Injury?
The compensation available to you depends on which laws apply to your situation. We calculate every category of your loss to make sure nothing is left on the table.
LHWCA benefits cover all reasonable medical treatment, two-thirds of your average weekly wage during recovery, permanent disability ratings, and vocational rehabilitation if you cannot return to your previous role.
Jones Act and third-party claims go further, covering your full past and future lost wages, all medical expenses, pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and in rare cases of extreme misconduct, punitive damages.
Call (310) 514-1200 for a free case evaluation to understand exactly what your maritime head injury claim is worth.
Deadlines That Can Eliminate Your Maritime Head Injury Claim
Maritime law imposes strict filing deadlines. Missing them forfeits your right to compensation entirely, regardless of how serious your injury is.
- LHWCA notice: You must notify your employer in writing within 30 days of the injury.
- LHWCA claim: You must file a formal claim within one year of the accident date.
- Jones Act lawsuit: You have three years from the date of injury to file suit.
- Cruise passenger claims: Most ticket contracts require you to file suit within one year in a specific court named in your contract.
Evidence also disappears fast. Security footage gets deleted on automatic cycles, and vessels leave port. Early legal action is the only way to secure what you need to prove your case.
How We Prove Maritime Brain Injury Cases
Brain injuries are often invisible on the outside, which is exactly what insurers count on when they deny or minimize claims. We build a detailed medical and legal case that makes the full impact of your injury impossible to dismiss.
- Neuropsychological testing: We arrange cognitive evaluations that measure memory, attention, and processing speed, capturing damage that standard imaging misses.
- Life care planning: We work with medical and economic experts to calculate your lifetime treatment costs and the total value of your lost earning capacity.
- Maritime safety experts: We retain engineers and vessel operations specialists who can explain exactly how negligence or unsafe conditions caused your accident.
We prepare every case as if it is going to trial. That preparation gives you real leverage when it comes time to negotiate a settlement.
In our experience handling maritime TBI cases near the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach, the single most contested issue is causation. Defense experts routinely attribute cognitive symptoms to age, prior head trauma, or general anxiety rather than the workplace accident.
We respond by retaining neuropsychologists who conduct full evaluations measuring processing speed, working memory, and executive function against pre-injury baselines established through educational and employment records.
When those tests show measurable deficits, the defense argument that your injury was pre-existing becomes very difficult to sustain.
Why Choose the Law Offices of Charles D. Naylor
- Five decades of maritime focus: Charles D. Naylor has practiced maritime injury law for over 50 years in state and federal courts across Southern California.
- Recognized expertise: Our firm holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell and Charles D. Naylor has been repeatedly named a Southern California Super Lawyer.
- Local presence: Our Long Beach office allows us to respond quickly to incidents at the ports and coordinate with local medical specialists who treat maritime injuries.
- No fee unless we win: Your consultation is free, and we collect no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.
“This was my first major injury and also first dealings with an attorney in this sort of case. The firm was exceptionally professional, well informed and knowledgeable of injury cases. They built my trust from the first interview and proved to be the perfect firm for me to use.
My attorney, Peter Forgie, is wonderful and kind, and an easy person to work with. My questions were answered and my concerns were treated as important. I was treated with respect. Thanks to all of you for your time and effort on my part. I really appreciate it!” – Darlene, Cruise Injury Client
Frequently Asked Questions About Maritime Head Injury Claims
How Do I Know if I Qualify as a Jones Act Seaman After a Head Injury?
You likely qualify as a seaman if you spent at least 30 percent of your working time aboard a vessel in navigation. Dock and harbor workers typically fall under the LHWCA instead, though your exact classification depends on the specifics of your job duties.
Can I Still File a Claim if My MRI Results Were Normal?
Yes. A normal MRI does not rule out a traumatic brain injury. Neuropsychological testing often reveals cognitive impairment that standard imaging cannot detect, and we use those results to document the real extent of your injury.
Do I Have to Treat with the Company Doctor After a Maritime Head Injury?
In most cases, you have the right to choose your own treating physician. We help you connect with independent neurologists who provide thorough evaluations and are not influenced by your employer’s interests.
Can I Collect Maintenance and Cure Benefits While Also Pursuing a Lawsuit?
Yes. Maintenance and cure is a no-fault benefit that covers your daily expenses and medical treatment while you recover. Collecting these benefits does not prevent you from also pursuing a Jones Act negligence claim or an unseaworthiness claim against the vessel owner.
What if My Brain Injury Symptoms Did Not Appear Until Days After the Accident?
Delayed symptoms are common with traumatic brain injuries and do not disqualify you from filing a claim. The filing deadline generally runs from when you first connected your symptoms to the workplace accident, but you should contact an attorney as soon as possible to protect your rights.
Contact the Law Offices of Charles D. Naylor
If you suffered a head injury on a vessel, dock, or shipyard, do not wait to get legal help. The Law Offices of Charles D. Naylor is available around the clock to take your call and begin protecting your claim immediately.
Our office is located at 111 W. Ocean Blvd, Suite 400, Long Beach, CA 90802. Call (310) 514-1200 or complete our online form for a free consultation. You pay nothing unless we win your case.
