Attorneys for the maritime worker
since 1970

October 2017

Be Careful When Filling Out Pre-sign On Documents! PDF

 

When you are completing pre-sign on documents, avoid the tendency to rush through them. This is especially true with the pre-sign on physical/medical form. Even if you have received treatment that is minor, you should still mention it or it can come back to haunt you later. In the event you are injured, shipping companies and their investigators will dig through these documents looking for any inaccuracies or unreported conditions to make you appear dishonest. They will exploit any advantage they can find, so be cautious!

Question From The Bridge

I hurt my back at work a few months ago but the shipping company is refusing to pay maintenance, saying that I was injured before I got on the ship and failed to report it on my pre-sign on physical form. I did see a chiropractor for an adjustment to my back a month before I got on the ship but it wasn’t serious and went away. What should I do?
Brian P. in Oakland
.

Answer:
Dear Brian,
You should inform them the adjustment was minor and solved the problem. Explain that since you were fine afterwards you did not think you needed to mention it on the form. You should also inform them that the pain in your back from the injury is new and completely different than what you experienced before. It’s an uphill battle, you should hire an experienced maritime attorney immediately.

Now Back In Oakland At

The Law Offices of Cavin and Marks, Jr.
428 Alice St., Suite 128
Oakland, CA 94607

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.