Maritime and Admiralty Law

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Sailors who are injured on the high seas, oil field workers who are injured or killed on drilling vessels or when longshoremen and other workers are injured in pier and dock accidents, they are protected by a federal law called the Jones Act. The Jones Act assures workers and their families that they will receive fair compensation for injuries and wrongful deaths.

Maritime accident victims require the help of an experienced maritime attorney in order to assure they receive the medical treatment, lost earnings, and other compensation they are due. In the case of wrongful death on the high seas, families need an effective, determined maritime law attorney on their side.

At the Law Office of Kenneth G. Miller, we never represent insurance companies. We focus all our resources and skills on helping injured victims and the families of wrongful death victims.

Injuries that occur on navigable waters are governed by special laws. Those special laws include: General Maritime Law; The Jones Act; The Public Vessels Act; and The Death on High Seas Act.

Under The Jones Act, seamen are entitled to protection from negligence and un-seaworthy vessels. A seaman is a member of the crew of a vessel (boat, ship, or other floating or motorized structure). A seaman must contribute to the function of the vessel, the accomplishment of the vessel's mission or the vessel's maintenance. Seamen would include: officers, engineers, deck department workers and other members of a ship's crew. Others who are not thought of as traditional seamen may also be included such as: oil rig tool-pushers, drillers, rough necks, cooks, and other workers on jack-up oil rigs, semi-submersible rigs and drill ships.

Admiralty lawsuits can include injuries or deaths relating to heavy lifting and cargo handling. Admiralty lawsuits can arise from broken bones, paralysis, and amputations that are due to un-seaworthy conditions on board a vessel. Also covered would be burns caused by explosions on oil rigs or ships, electrocution injuries, drowning or deaths due to defective equipment on tugboats, oil rigs, ships, or harbor facilities.

Employees who are injured on ships, barges, and other maritime craft are not covered by worker's compensation laws like land-based workers. They are, however, protected by the laws of Admiralty and Maritime.

Maritime accident victims are entitled to be seen by a physician of their own choosing, but that choice is critical! Don’t make it without the assistance of an experienced injury attorney. Remember, the company doctor has an ongoing relationship with your employer to protect. He may be looking after their interests (and his) and putting your interests second. Let us help you with this critical choice to make sure that you get the medical care and the compensation that you deserve.

When an individual who is considered to be a seaman under the law dies as a result of the negligence of his employer or from circumstances created by an vessel which is not seaworthy, the worker's family can file for benefits under the Death on High Seas Act. Any Death on High Seas lawsuit must be brought within three years from the death of the seaman.

Admiralty and maritime lawsuits can also be applied to cruise ship passengers. If anyone who is a passenger on a cruise ship is ever the victim of an accident or assault on a cruise ship, they may be due compensation for what happened to them while they were a passenger on the cruise ship. There have been numerous cases that have been tried in court, on behalf of cruise ship passengers, which have been successful.

Maritime accident victims who have been injured and the families of those who have been killed in boats and other vessels while working in maritime settings are represented on a contingency fee basis: no attorney fee is earned unless we obtain a recovery for our client.

If you or someone that you know believes you have a legitimate admiralty or maritime personal injury case, please submit your claim to the Law Office of Kenneth G. Miller and obtain a no-cost personal consultation.