The Jones Act, originally introduced as the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, is a federal law that protects offshore workers by allowing them to seek compensation for their injuries. It provides seamen with the ability to recover damages if their injury was caused due to the negligence of the vessel’s owner, captain or crew. Even a failure to render sufficient medical aid following an injury can lead to your employer being liable for that injury. Anyone who spends his or her time working on a boat, ship, rig, tug or other vessel in navigation may be eligible to take advantage of the generous protections provided under the Jones Act. Remember, in order to make sure your rights are protected, you must file your claim no more than three years from the date of your accident to avoid the statute of limitations. If you fail to meet this requirement, you could be permanently barred from seeking money damages for your injury.
Whether you are a deckhand, motorman, roughneck or roustabout, if you have been injured at sea due to the negligence or carelessness of your employer, captain or fellow crew members, contact the trial-tested offshore injury lawyers at Fitts Zehl today for a free, confidential consultation. Remember, you can't trust just any lawyer to handle your offshore injury. Our offshore accident attorneys have the knowledge and experience to correctly determine whether your claim belongs under the Jones Act, General Maritime Law, the Death on the High Seas Act or the Lonshoremen and Harborworkers' Compensation Act. Filing suit under the wrong body of law can seriously harm your ability to recover damages from your employer. The vast majority of attorneys have never handled an offshore claim and wouldn't have the slightest idea what to do with it. The maritime accident lawyers at Fitts Zehl currently represent dozens of individuals who were seriously hurt offshore, including a number of workers injured in the tragic explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig on April 20, 2010. Let us put our winning team to work for you today.
The Jones Act provides injured seamen with numerous protections including:
- Transportation home following an injury;
- Wages through the end of the voyage;
- Maintenance payments to cover living expenses; and
- Cure to cover any necessary medical treatment until the injured seaman reaches "maximum medical improvement".
Furthermore, if the vessel is found to be inherently unsafe, underequipped or undermanned, an injured seaman can pursue a claim for unseaworthiness. This means the ship, rig, tug or semi-submersible was never in proper condition to leave port in the first place. Even missing or damaged safety equipment can be enough to support a finding of unseaworthiness.
The Jones Act imposes a higher-than-normal duty of care on the employers of offshore workers because offshore workers are considered wards of the Court and thus well protected. Any breach, no matter how slight, of that elevated standard of care that results in a seaman being injured will generally be enough to trigger the employer’s liability.
In the past 3 years alone, the Jones Act and maritime lawyers at Fitts Zehl LLP have recovered over $150 million in damages for workers injured along the Gulf Coast, including workers in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Virginia, have been interviewed on CNN and Good Morning America, and provided legal commentary to The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Houston Chronicle, Forbes, Bloomberg, and The Dallas Morning News. We represent clients against some of the largest maritime employers in the country, including Hercules, Ensco, Pride, BP, Nobel, Helix, Transocean and Oceaneering. Our trial lawyers refuse to settle a case until we're confident that our client is being fully compensated for his losses and damages, and we are always prepared to take a case to court. Contact the experienced Jones Act lawyers at Fitts Zehl today for a free, no-obligation consultation at 1-800-993-4887.
In the event that you are hurt offshore, report your injury to the appropriate supervisor and request medical attention immediately. Remember, you have the right to see any doctor you want without having to do, say or sign anything. Don't let your employer pressure you into giving a statement, signing a release form or going to see the company doctor. You have rights! Contact the offshore injury lawyers at Fitts Zehl today to find out how to enforce them.
