Hiring a jones act lawyer Merchant Marine Act, introduced in the year 1920 is the other name given to the Jones Act. This U.S federal statute is to regulate the maritime commerce of the United States in the waters of both the U.S as well as between the ports. Why hire a Jones Act Lawyer? A jones act lawyer is a person who has the expertise and knowledge on the law related to admiralty and maritime. The person will also have experience in dealing with cases that relates to mistreatment aboard a cruise vessel, injury on a cruise vessel, improper termination and other seaman factors. This lawyer will assist a seaman to claim compensation from a particular cruise line on which he was working. The following are some of the factors that requires a Jones Act lawyer to win the case. The Jones Act – The Jones Act is mainly for a crew member who requires to file a lawsuit in order to claim compensation. The lawsuit can be filed if the crew member has suffered an injury caused by the carelessness of the employer or by the carelessness of (other crew members) divers, captain, sailors, etc,. The seaman sometimes might have to engage himself voluntarily in certain dangerous activities as per job requirement and while doing so might get injured for which he can make a monetary recovery claim. Improper medical care or inadequate medical facility – Any issues related to improper medical facilities or care such as inadequate medicines, unqualified doctors, improper arrangements, wrong diagnosis, improper treatment, inadequate medical equipments and no proper care. Improper retaliatory discharge – A crew member who is unnecessarily fired without any prior notice or warning when he refused to work overtime, when he makes a report on environmental safety or when lied about injury. Improper payment of wages – When a crew member has not promptly received the wages as promised by the cruise line, then he has the rights to claim the penalty wages. Unseaworthy – If a seaman finds the condition of the cruise ship to be unseaworthy, then the owner of the cruise line can be filed with a lawsuit. This is to ensure a safe environment for everyone on the vessel. It is the duty of the owner to ensure required precautions, repair works and maintenance are
properly done on the vessel. If a crew member gets injured due to the unseaworthy vessel then he can proceed to file a monetary damage claim. Improper maintenance and improper cure – Apart from providing proper medical treatment and facilities, the injured crew member must also be provided with these facilities free of cost that is liable to the maximum medical limit. Harassment (Physical or Sexual) – Crew member harassed either sexually or physically by the owner or by other crew members. Jones Act Lawyer and Seaman A person working on any type of vessel (small or big) that travels on the waters is known to be a jones act attorney. This person need not necessarily be the one navigating the ship but can also be a person who performs other duties on a vessel. A Jones Act Lawyer is a person who helps a Jones Act Seaman to get his claims against a vessel.