Maritime workers who sustain an injury or contract an illness on the job have certain rights under maritime law. Some of the laws protecting maritime workers are:
- The Jones Act, which protects seamen injured during the course of their employment and due to their employer’s negligence
- The Longshore Act, which protects maritime workers who are not crewmembers of a vessel when they are injured or contract an occupational disease on navigable U.S. waters or on docks, piers, marine terminals or marinas
- Unseaworthiness and defective equipment laws, which protect seamen working aboard a vessel whose injuries result from unseaworthy conditions or defective or missing equipment
- Maintenance and cure laws, which require maritime employers to provide seamen food and lodging if they fall ill or sustain an injury while working on a ship and to cover their necessary medical expenses
Unfortunately, these maritime laws do not enforce themselves. If you are injured or become ill while working in the maritime industry, consult an attorney who specializes in maritime litigation and knows which laws apply to which workers.
An experienced maritime attorney will conduct an investigation on your behalf — separate from the one conducted by your employer and the insurance company — and ensure your claim is filed in the proper venue and within the applicable statute of limitations. Without a maritime attorney on your side, you may not receive the compensation to which you are entitled under the law.
Latti Associates LLC – Boston maritime trial lawyers