Attorneys for the maritime worker
since 1970

November 2015

Make Sure To Get A Copy Of Your Medical Records PDF

 

Injured mariners often forget to request a copy of their medical record following a visit to their doctor’s office. This is especially imperative if you are in a foreign port. Obtaining these records later can be problematic. Shipowners can usually obtain these records as part of their handling of any potential claim. Many times these records contain errors, are incomplete, or worse, the shipowner may meddle with the doctor’s report to their own advantage. Like we have emphasized, any time you are injured, the shipowner does not hesitate to investigate your case. Do not be disadvantaged at the outset by an erroneous report from a foreign company doctor. Get your records and make sure they properly reflect your visit to the health provider.

Question From The Bridge

I was seen overseas in a clinic where I was examined by a foreign doctor who didn’t speak much English. When I got home and made a claim for maintenance and cure the company said the doctor did not make me unfit to work for more than a week. I am sure he told me I was unfit for a much longer period. How can this be corrected?
Earl, Baton Rouge
.

Answer:
If you had obtained a copy of his notes it would have clarified the situation. Sometimes these notes are written in a different language and require translation. You will now have to try to get the notes directly from the doctor unless the shipowner provides you with a set that has not been altered by either the company or the doctor.

About Our Law Firm

For more than four decades, merchant mariners, longshoremen, fishermen and harbor workers plying their trades at sea, on the docks, on our U.S. coastal waters and inland waterways have turned to the maritime law firm of Law Offices of Cavin and Marks, Jr. & Associates in Oakland. Today, we are proud to be recognized as one of the preeminent maritime law firms serving injured marine workers nationwide, as well as one of the most successful personal injury litigation firms serving victims of negligence in the San Francisco Bay Area and throughout the West Coast.

Team Approach To Every Personal Injury And Jones Act Claim

When you retain Law Offices of Cavin and Marks, Jr. & Associates for a Jones Act injury claim; or personal injury claim, you don’t get just one attorney, you get our entire team of dedicated professionals. Our attorneys offer more than 150 combined years of courtroom and negotiated claims settlement experience. We will represent your interests with unwavering dedication, speed and expertise.