Kanawha County, West Virginia

If a worker is injured while performing his/her job on the Kanawha River in the Charleston, South Charleston area he/she is entitled to just compensation. West Virginia Workers’ Compensation may not apply to your line of work. Steven Schletker will examine the specific facts of your river injury case. He will look beyond your job designation to determine what your job tasks involve. Schletker Law will evaluate how long you spend performing river related functions. If you load or unload barges, repair docked tow boats, or repair shore side loading and unloading equipment, you may be covered by the federal Longshore Act. If a Longshoreman is injured in Kanawha County his/her claim will be handled by the United States Department of Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs in Baltimore, Maryland. If a worker is assigned as a member of a crew of a vessel in navigation, the Jones Act or General Maritime Law may apply. Steven Schletker will evaluate the best venue to file your law suit. He will also perform a detailed review of a worker’s job duties to determine whether West Virginia Workers’ Compensation, the Longshore Act or the Jones Act/General Maritime Law apply.

Schletker Law represents clients in personal injury, work injury, and other maritime accident claims. The initial consultation is free. If you retain Steven Schletker as your attorney, you will owe a fee only if the claim is successfully prosecuted. In many circumstances the recovery under the federal Longshore Act or the Jones Act/General Maritime Law is more generous to the injured worker than under West Virginia Workers’ Compensation law. Many cases that could be prosecuted under the Longshore Act or even the Jones Act are handled as West Virginia Workers’ Compensation claims. Employers will direct the claim to the state system, rather than the federal system. It is important for an injured worker to have his/her claim reviewed by an experienced maritime injury lawyer.

The name “Kanawha” is derived from the Iroquoian term for “water way" or "canoe way". The name refers to the Kanawha River, a tributary of the Ohio River. The Kanawha River is the longest inland waterway (approximately 97 miles) in West Virginia. Located in the south central region of West Virginia, Kanawha County is the most populous of the 55 counties in the state with 193,063 residents. The county seat of Kanawha County is Charleston which is also the state capital and the most populous city in West Virginia.

The unemployment rate in Kanawha County is 8.4% which is lower than the State average of 9.7%. Over 75% of workers in Kanawha County are employed by private companies. Many of these companies have a direct relationship to the Kanawha River. The average travel time to work is 21 minutes with over 91% of residents working in Kanawha County. The most common industries in Kanawha County are:

• Construction
• Mining
• Quarrying
• Oil and gas extraction

Kanawha County is uniquely located to facilitate the movement of natural resources and manufactured products. The county is both a rail hub and a center for inland marine transportation. Numerous open hopper barges loaded with coal can be seen moving down the Kanawha River toward the Ohio River. Workers who load and unload barges on the Kanawha River, or labor on tow boats that transport products on the Kanawha River to the Ohio River work long hours in dangerous conditions. They are exposed to loud workplace noises and injurious dusts and gases.

Protect your rights. Call Steven Schletker now at 800-254-7487 to discuss your river injury case.