Maritime Law Expert Discusses Implications of Worker Injury in Foreign Waters

Case Overview

This admiralty case involves a plaintiff who was injured while working for an American company while at sea off the coast of Africa. At the time of the incident in question, the man was tasked with inspecting the attachments between stacks of shipping containers. In order to access the joints, the man was required to scale the containers. At some point, he lost his footing and fell to the deck, suffering significant injuries. The injured plaintiff had made a claim under the Jones Act, but language in his contract dictated that he is only entitled to benefits under maritime law of the nearest country.