Understanding Maritime Law

Offshore Injury Attorney

Under general maritime law, maintenance and cure benefits are owed to a seaman until he is fit for duty again or reaches maximum recovery. Maintenance and cure is owed to an injured seaman regardless of who caused the accident or injury. Maintenance includes a seaman's reasonable room and board while ashore, including food, rent, electricity, phone and transportation, as determined by the courts. Cure benefits include doctors and hospital bills, diagnostic tests, MRI and CT scans, x-rays, medical prescriptions, physical therapy and in-home care.

In precedent-setting court decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court has found that the entitlements under maintenance and cure should be broad and inclusive, and any questions about obligations should be resolved in favor of the injured seaman. To ensure your rights are fully upheld in these matters, it is important to work with an experienced offshore injury lawyer. At Arnold & Itkin LLP, we are fully committed to holding ship owners and employers accountable for providing all the benefits injured seamen are owed under general maritime law. In the years we have been representing injured seamen, we have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts. Our track record speaks for itself, and our experience can make all the difference in your case. To find out more, we welcome you to contact an attorney at our firm for a free consultation.

General Maritime Law

Maritime trade is one of the oldest forms of commerce. As maritime trade has evolved over the centuries, so has the vast body of laws that apply to ship owners, seamen, and those who ship cargo by water. This body of law, developed over time based on court decisions and old English common law, is known as general maritime law.

Today, general maritime law provides certain important benefits and protections to seamen who are injured offshore, in addition to the legal protections afforded by federal laws such as the Jones Act and the Death on the High Seas Act. Among the significant developments in general maritime law are the obligation of ship owners to provide a seaworthy vessel and the principles of maintenance and cure. A ship owner has a duty to provide a seaworthy vessel that is properly maintained and equipped and staffed by a trained crew. If a seaman or crew member is injured or becomes ill as a result of a vessel's unseaworthiness, the owner is liable to the seaman for his damages and loss. An injured seaman or maritime worker is entitled to paid medical treatment as well as room and board under the general maritime law principles of maintenance and cure.

General maritime law is as important today as ever in protecting injured seamen. When a crew member becomes ill or injured in the course of employment, the seaman is entitled to receive his or her FULL WAGES for the entire voyage during which the illness or injury occurred. It's true that sometimes a voyage is difficult to define for the purpose of establishing wages owed. The contractual wages owed may be determined by the schedule that the seaman worked.

We have handled many general maritime law claims for injured offshore workers across the Gulf of Mexico. We are committed to seeing that injured and ill maritime workers receive the maximum protections and benefits to which they're entitled under general maritime law and other applicable laws. We have helped many injured offshore workers in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, California, Mississippi and all of the U.S. obtain financial help to pay their medical bills, pay rent, put food on the table and get back on their feet.

Contact an Experienced Maritime Lawyer

If you or a loved one has been injured while working on a ship or vessel, please contact a knowledgeable maritime law attorney at our firm. We represent offshore workers in general maritime law claims and Jones Act claims across the Gulf of Mexico and throughout the entire United States. We are aggressive, skilled and experienced and we work hard to maximize our clients' recoveries. We understand how important it is to you as a hardworking seaman to provide for your family and pay your medical bills as you try to recover from a serious accident or injury. We can help.

Contact an offshore injury lawyer at our firm today for a confidential review of your case.