Jones Act Protects Injured Nautical Workers, But Legal Help Still Necessary
Thousands of hardy Americans operate on ships or offshore platforms in our nation’s waters. And unhappily, many become wounded each year in maritime or offshore accidents. For them, restoring their life to normalcy can be a battle. But they have one ever-present and strong protection. They have the Jones Act.
Named after its writer, Washington state Sen. Wesley Jones, and also known as the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, this law protects injured maritime workers, seamen, sailors or offshore platform workers in the event of trauma. It holds a crew, owner or captain of a vessel or rig liable for employees’ injuries, especially in cases where unseaworthiness of the vessel or platform, or carelessness of the crew, owner or captain, caused the accident.
Thanks to this astute and far-reaching maritime regulation, injured maritime workers — or survivors of those who die — have recourse. They can assert a Jones Act entitlement via a Jones Act lawsuit to reclaim their financial losses. And to do this, they only need to contact a Jones Act attorney with veteran law firm Jim S. Adler & Associates, where thousands of injured Texans have placed their trust for over thirty years.
A Jones Act injury could happen because of faulty gear on a ship, barge, tugboat, dredge or other vessel, as well as an offshore platform or oil rig. Such an injury may occur when a craft’s safety procedures are not up to standard. It also may arise if a place of work in general is unsafe. In all of these situations, Jones Act safeguards ought to apply.
Ships or rigs on which Jones Act injuries can occur include ferries, trawlers, tug boats, water taxis, supply boats, shrimp boats, barges, riverboats, semi-submersible vessels, tankers, drill ships, oil rigs and jack-up rigs. Workers wounded or who die during transport to or from an offshore oil rig or vessel, or even injured while a vessel is docked, are also covered via the Jones Act.
These protections and safeguards are an injured maritime worker’s legal prerogative. But to be legally claimed, a seasoned Jones Act lawyer is vital. She or he or must grasp the difficult language of the extensive act, which also is known as Jones Act 46 U.S.C. The act was completely reworked and re-codified in 2006, so ongoing knowledge is necessary.
A well-educated Jones Act lawyer acting on behalf of a wounded maritime worker also can help protect her or him against opposing interests. As an example, an employer may suggest a swift financial settlement that’s far below what the injured worker is due. A Jones Act attorney could help keep that individual from the disappointment of accepting a prompt but small settlement and thus forfeiting the power to do anything else.
This often has been the situation with Jones Act injuries, when wealthy employers or owners don’t want to pay adequate financial compensation to injured employees or to the survivors of employees who were killed while at work. But with support from a Jones Act lawyer and the Jones Act itself, fairness can be found.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 29th, 2011 at 4:37 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.