General maritime law refers to traditional concepts of admiralty law which developed through the common over a period of hundreds of years. In addition to the Jones Act, maritime law provides additional rights and damages to seamen, and also provides claims for family members of maritime workers killed in an accident. Maritime law also provides remedies to non-seamen injured in a maritime setting or while involved in maritime activities.
Under maritime law, seamen can make claims for maintenance and cure, unseaworthiness, and common law negligence against a third party. General maritime law recognizes a strict liability standard in regard to product liability claims and also provides causes of action for wrongful death and negligence that are available to non-seamen injured on navigable waterways. Every Jones Act employer must pay a daily "subsistence" rate to injured workers to cover the reasonable expenses of room and board while ashore, until the injured seaman is found fit for duty or placed at maximum medical improvement by his physician. This is referred to as maintenance. The employer must also pay for the expenses for medical care which is rendered in trying to improve the injure worker's condition. This is known as "cure".
Maritime claims include claims of Jones Act seamen and longshoremen against any responsible third party non-employers for negligence causing or contributing to injury or death. These claims also include claims of passengers and non-seamen for negligence resulting in damages while involved in traditionally maritime activities.
The statute of limitations for maritime claims is three years from the date of accident.
