Gallia County, Ohio

Located on the Ohio River, Gallipolis is the county seat of Gallia County, Ohio. Gallipolis is home to approximately 4,200 of Gallia County’s 30,934 residents, and boasts a thriving river community named for the “City of the Gauls”, the original 500 French settlers who arrived in 1790. For Gallipolis residents and for those living in the nearby towns of Rio Grande, Ohio (home of restaurateur Bob Evans’ original farm), Crown City, Ohio, Vinton, Ohio, Cheshire, Ohio, and Centerville, Ohio (also known as "Thurman, Ohio”) life often revolves around the river. Many people have made their living working as deckhands, engineers, tow boat captains and crew members for river companies located in the area, including: AEP River Transportation, Ohio Valley Electric, C&C Marine Maintenance Co., McGinnis, Inc. and O-KAN Marine Repair. Those injured working for these businesses on the Ohio River, Kanawha River or other navigable waterways in the Midwest, will need an attorney who understands the Jones Act, Longshore Act and General Maritime Law.

Terminals, landings and docks line the banks of the Ohio River throughout the Gallia County, Ohio area. After suffering an injury on the river, tow boat workers are often faced with the harsh reality of having to deal with the river company claims person, insurance company adjuster and even maritime lawyers. If a deck hand, engineer or pilot had to match wits with a lawyer about working on the river, how to lay a double up or taking a cut of barges through a lock, the river worker would do quite well. However, if the injured river worker is required to match wits with a river attorney about the technicalities of Jones Act, Longshore Act or particulars of general maritime law, that is a different matter. It is difficult enough to deal with a back injury, hearing loss, knee surgery or other work related injury on the river without having to deal with issues of maritime law.

When a river worker is injured, there is a need for an attorney who understands the differences between a Jones Act and General Maritime worker, a worker covered under the Longshore Act and a state compensation worker.

Steven Schletker, who is licensed in Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia, is an experienced attorney who focuses on representation of Jones Act seamen, deckhands, engineers, mates, tow boat crew members and Longshoremen injured on the Ohio River, Lake Erie, Kanawha and other inland waterways, docks and ports. He handles Ohio River and tributary river cases from Paducah, Kentucky to Parkersburg, West Virginia and has represented numerous injured workers along Lake Erie ports from Toledo, Ohio to Conneaut, Ohio.

As an injured worker, the first step in protecting yourself is to contact an experienced attorney who regularly practices Jones Act, General Maritime Law, river and Longshore cases. Your initial consultation with Steven Schletker is free. There are no upfront costs or fees. A retainer payment is not required. Steven Schletker receives payment only when he successfully prosecutes your case.