The Jones Act & Maritime Law
Considering filing a Jones Act injury claim? Know your rights.
The Jones Act was originally created by Congress in recognition of the unpredictable and often dangerous nature of offshore work. The Act considers each and every seaman to be a ward of the admiralty court and protects them as a parent would protect a child.
As a result of this protection, a seaman is able to recover damages from his employer if he is injured on-the-job due to the negligence or carelessness of someone else. Even the slightest negligence, when proven to have proximately caused an injury, can be enough to hold an employer liable.
Your Rights under the Jones Act and Maritime Laws:
When you are injured offshore, the Jones Act and maritime laws provide you with a number of rights and benefits. Many of these benefits are provided by the maritime law, a complicated set of federal rules and statutes that includes the Jones Act, the Longshoreman and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, the Death on the High Seas Act or the general maritime law. These laws govern, among other things, how much compensation you and your family are entitled to, where and how long you have to file your case, and the types of damages you may recover.
After an accident, however, most companies will try to persuade the injured workers to waive their rghts by accepting inadequate settlement offers and signing releases that limit the company’s obligation to compensate them for their injuries and damages. Having represented offshore workers against the largest maritime companies in the industry, our lawyers have the experience needed to ensure that you and your family recover all the benefits and damages that are available to you under the Jones Act and general maritime laws.
Once a seaman reports a Jones Act injury, he or she is entitled to several protections including:
- wages through the end of the scheduled hitch
- paid transportation home
- subsistence payments to cover reasonable living expenses (maintenance) and
- money for medical treatment (cure) until you reach maximum medical improvement
Additionally, if your ship was unfit to be on the water for any reason, you could also have a claim for unseaworthiness. The vessel owner has an absolute duty to provide you equipment and tools that are reasonably fit for their intended use. Even a failure to provide a working bathroom could be enough to support a finding of unseaworthiness.
Call 1-888-302-3838 for a free, confidential case consultation with one of our Experienced Jones Act Injury Lawyers
If you or a loved one were injured while working offshore, the experienced and dedicated Jones Act injury lawyers at Zehl & Associates will devote whatever resources are necessary to ensuring that you are fully compensated for your injuries so that you and your family can focus on the future—and not on how you’re going to pay for it.
Call 1-888-302-3838 for a free case consultation or simply click here to contact us.
