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Maritime Lawyer Explains How to Defend Your Crew Member Rights

It doesn’t matter if you work on a ship, a barge, a fishing vessel, or tug boat: you have legal rights when you are injured while working on any vessel. As a maritime crew member you face unique hazards that people who work on land do not deal with. In fact, the jobs you do at sea are much more dangerous than those same jobs on land.

But, because your crew job on board a vessel is more dangerous than many of those on land, your rights include special laws and provisions. Let’s take a look at some of them:

Maintenance: You are protected by “maintenance and cure” for any injury you might receive while working onboard a vessel. Maintenance refers to the money you need for your basic needs while recovering from your injury. It covers food and housing costs. Long ago, maintenance was set at around $8 a day. Today that will barely feed one person. The amount for maintenance varies greatly and your best chance of receiving a fair payment is by obtaining legal representation.

Cure: Cure refers to your medical needs while recovering from a maritime injury. You may likely have hospital, doctor and rehabilitation costs that mount quickly while you mend. Cure provides you the money you need to meet these costs throughout your recovery.

Lost Wages: Also among your rights following an onboard injury is the right to payment of wages you have lost. At the least, this covers the wages you would have received throughout the full voyage of your vessel. If you are unable to work beyond that time frame, you may be able to receive further lost wages until you are fully healed. To get the maximum benefit, you will probably need a quality maritime lawyer.

Jones Act: In 1920, Congress enacted a law specifically designed to protect the seafarer. Previously existing laws up to that point did not fully cover the seaman. This law clearly states that an injured crew member has the unconditional right to sue his employer or a fellow crew member if his injuries were caused by some form of negligence.

Seaworthiness: A final protection for the seaman is called the “Warranty of Seaworthiness.” In simple terms, if the vessel you serve on is deemed unseaworthy for any reason and this caused your injury, then the vessel owner and/or operator can be held liable.

It is important that you understand your legal rights when you step onboard any vessel as an employee. Too many times, injured seamen do not take advantage of these rights and end up with an unfair settlement.

To protect yourself when injured onboard any vessel, you should consult a maritime lawyer, and the sooner the better. At Vujasinovic & Beckcom we take pride in being the best Gulf Coast maritime lawyers for crew members who work on a ship. Call us today toll-free at 877-724-7800 or fill out the confidential form on this page for a no-cost case evaluation.