Maritime Piracy

Injured in a pirate attack on the high seas?

If you are working as a crewmember for a vessel that travels on foreign waters, you have likely heard of or experienced the danger that pirate crews pose. Because of technology and advanced weaponry, modern-day pirates are a far greater threat to vessels than the pirates of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Today, the typical pirate imagery of a cutlass and cannon has been replaced by semi-automatic guns and rocket launchers. Maritime piracy, even though it has existed for centuries, has recently been recognized as one of the most dangerous risks associated with maritime work. As an offshore worker, it is important for you to understand the maritime laws that can protect your rights in the case of a pirate attack. It is wise to consult amaritime accident attorney about your line of work and how you can recover compensation for injuries related to pirate attacks. At Arnold & Itkin LLP, our professional team may be able to help you seek compensation to cover lost wages, medical expenses, and other losses that may have occurred as a result of the attack.

About Maritime Piracy

Our law firm is founded on a commitment to provide legal counsel and support to those who have sustained serious injuries. Our lawyers have years of experience helping injured offshore workers recover the compensation they desperately need to cover the medical costs of their injuries. We have created this website to provide helpful information and guidance to maritime workers through the United States and those who have been injured in foreign waters.

A pirate attack typically occurs overseas, and American seamen are usually confused about how to go about seeking compensation for an attack in foreign waters. With our help, your injury case will be appropriately filed under the right maritime law and your chances of recovering compensation greatly increase. We have seen a tremendous increase in the number of offshore workers injured by pirate attacks in recent years, and this has given us an opportunity to build upon our skills and knowledge in this area of maritime law.

Ship owners and employers have an obligation to do their part to deter and prevent pirate attacks on their ship. If you feel that your ship was attacked because the necessary safety measures were ignored, it is important for you voice to be heard. Don't wait to contact a personal injury lawyer at Arnold & Itkin LLP about your pirate attack. We can provide you with the legal backing you need to face your employer and stand up for others who have been injured because of negligent safety practices.

Maritime & Admiralty Law

Injured offshore? Get Arnold & Itkin in your corner!

Just like any other industry, seamen are at risk for suffering work-related injuries any time that they are on the clock. The courts have recognized this and are continually working to protect injured seamen through general maritime law. Maritime law allows workers who have been injured offshore or in the maritime industry the chance to claim necessary compensation for any suffering of medical complications.

Originally, general maritime law emerged from the court system that dated back to British admiralty law. Through the years, maritime law has become more intricate and complex. The outdated compensation rates are no longer widely accepted, which is due in large part to the evolving changes of maritime law.

The following acts are foundational to maritime law:

• Jones Act
• Death on the High Seas Act
• Longshore & Harbor Workers Compensation Act

Though the above acts are very critical, general maritime law is still the basis for all injuries sustained by seamen. It is important to have a comprehensive understanding of the general law before delving into the subsequent acts.

Maritime Law As It Applies to Employers

Under general maritime law, ship owners are required to keep their vessels maintained according to a certain standard. As the employer and owner, the vessel holder must preserve the safety and structure of the ship in a way that is appropriate for all employees on board. Manning, equipping, and supplying the vessel are all key aspects of a ship owner's duty according to general maritime law. Subsequently, if an employee of the vessel becomes injured or ill due to the unseaworthiness of the ship, the owner will be held accountable for any loss by way of compensation.

How does maritime law provide for injured workers?

Without the provision of general maritime law, injured seamen would be left on their own to counteract any suffering they sustained while working. Anytime a ship employee becomes injured or sick, the vessel owner is required to reimburse their losses. General maritime law refers to this reimbursement as maintenance and cure, meaning that until the seaman fully recovers, the employer must provide for their affliction.

The court views this obligation as an unquestionable duty that the ship owner owes any seaman aboard their vessel. Seaman are also eligible to recover full wages for the length of the voyage during which they sustained injuries or illness. An employment contract may dictate the amount of unearned wages a seaman can receive.

Provisions for Maintenance & Cure

Maintenance and cure refer to the benefits a seaman is entitled to until he sufficiently recovers and is fit for duty. However, there is a maximum medical improvement limit that can control the amount of compensation received. Because many ship owners are loathe to pay the highest amount of benefits possible, they will either follow old maintenance rates (which can range from $15 to $35 a day) or regulate the cure benefits by hand-picking covered medical treatments. The U.S. Supreme Court states that the duty to provide maintenance and cure must be broad and inclusive. In the case of compensation, the seaman is almost always favored when any skepticism is involved.

Our Maritime Lawyers Can Help: Call for a Free Consultation

If you believe that you have a case that falls under maritime law, don't hesitate to contact our firm. Maritime injury lawyers from Arnold & Itkin LLP are more than qualified to represent your rights and fight for the benefits that you deserve. Get in touch with our firm today to learn more about how our experience can benefit you.

Maritime Injuries

Protected Injured Seaman Throughout the Nation

Following a serious maritime accident, injured seamen may face a host of both tangible and tangible costs. These do not only have an immediate impact on the individual and their family, but can affect them for many years to come. In almost all cases, the immediate effects are obvious in the inability to work, the steep medical bills, and the initial pain and suffering associated with the injury or illness. Even the future costs of rehabilitation are often a well-known cost. However, it is not always easy to see what the future costs of an injury will be. In some cases, the individual may require life-long medical attention or may eventually pass away from the side effects of the accident. For this reason, it is crucial that the injured and their family recover just damages for the injury under the Jones Act. 

Consider these costs that could result from a maritime injury or death of a seaman: Hospitalization; Long-term rehabilitation; In-home care; Lost wages and earning capacity; Future physical / emotional health complications; Emotional and financial counseling; and Vocational rehabilitation Why Hire an Offshore Injury Attorney? At our firm, we have seen all too often how maritime injuries (both catastrophic and fatal) occur not only in the Gulf of Mexico, but also in our nation's inland waterways and throughout the oceans. For this reason, we remain wholly committed to helping injured workers and their families recover the financial compensation that they deserve. We believe that what we do is about more than just money. We work tirelessly to see that our clients recover not only financially, but physically, emotionally, and mentally, as well. At our firm, we are dedicated to helping the individuals who have suffered from life-changing injuries to recover the comprehensive compensation that they need for past, current, and future costs. Armed with years of experience, we have a unique perspective in our approach to cases, and we can work toward helping our clients receive the compensation that they need to pay for the long-term costs of their injuries. You can trust that should you choose to work with a personal injury attorney from our firm that we will have the experience that you need. Call now!

Admiralty Lawyer

Admiralty Lawyer Admiralty law 

(also known as maritime law) is a body of law governing the conduct of vessels and incidents occurring at sea. Although most countries have their own laws regarding maritime commerce, seamen, and the conveyance of passengers, many aspects of admiralty law are recognized internationally through multilateral treaties. History of Admiralty and Maritime Law As ships provided one of the earliest methods for transporting goods over long distances, rules regulating shipping can be traced all the way back to the ancient Greeks in approximately 900 B.C. The concept of a separate legal authority regulating maritime issues was brought to the west by Eleanor of Aquitaine, who learned of the concept when she accompanied her first husband King Louis VII of France to the Mediterranean on the Second Crusade. The term admiralty law came from the British admiralty courts, who presided over maritime matters separately from England's common law courts. As the United States judicial system is based on the British system, amended admiralty laws were gradually incorporated into the U.S. legal system soon after the U.S. Constitution was ratified.

Features of Admiralty Law Admiralty law sets forth many of the basic legal tenants associated with the sea and seamen, including: The right of a rescuer to claim a Marine Salvage award for recovering property that was lost at sea. The right for creditors and seamen who are owed wages to have a Maritime Lien against a vessel as a security interest to insure they are paid. The duty for ship owners to provide reasonable care to passengers, and if negligence results in a passenger injury, suit may be brought against the ship owner just as if the injury had occurred on land. The benefit of maintenance and cure, which requires ship owners to care for crew members injured in service to a ship. Maintenance obligates ship owners to provide injured seamen with basic living expenses until they are able to return to work, while cure obligates ship owners to provide free medical care even if that care is long-term or permanent until an injured seaman reaches the state of maximum medical cure (i.e. being returned as close as medically possible to the condition the seaman was in prior to the injury). Admiralty Law in the United States In the United States, jurisdiction over admiralty law matters was originally given to the federal courts. However, today most admiralty cases can be heard by both state and federal courts under the saving to suitors clause in Title 28 of the United States Code (28 U.S.C. § 1333). The exception to this is any matter involving maritime property; those cases may only be tried in federal court. If a state court presides over an admiralty or maritime case, the court is required to apply admiralty or maritime law rather than its state law. Since admiralty law is a large and complex body of law separate from the civil or criminal law that most attorneys practice, it is important for individuals with maritime cases to be represented by a qualified offshore injury lawyer with a proven track record of prosecuting admiralty law cases. At Arnold & Itkin LLP, we know what is at stake when we take on a claim of this nature and we are prepared to go the distance in our efforts to helping our clients seek the just and desirable outcome that they deserve.