Jones Act Representation
Representing Those Injured on Commercial Vessels
The Merchant Marine Act of 1920, better known as the Jones Act, was enacted following the Titanic disaster. Still in effect today, the Jones Act provides compensation for seamen who suffer injuries on the water due to the negligence of their employers or supervisors. It also compensates seamen for injuries suffered while working on a vessel that was not seaworthy.
At Saunders & Chabert, our Baton Rouge Jones Act attorneys have nearly 50 years of combined experience representing injured seamen in Louisiana and Mississippi. Our clients include everyone from deckhands to ship captains. We understand the hard work and difficult conditions seamen endure from personal experience, and we know how to apply the complex rules of the Jones Act to our clients’ claims to obtain full and fair compensation.
Who Is Protected by the Jones Act?
To recover compensation, an injured person must prove that the employer or ship owner was at fault for the accident.
The Jones Act is very specific in the type of worker that it covers. The Act allows seamen to file lawsuits against employers and ship owners. To qualify as a seaman, a worker must:
- Spend at least 30 percent of his or her time serving on a vessel in navigable waters (rivers, oceans, etc.).
- Be assigned to a vessel or fleet of vessels. A vessel could be a tugboat, an oil tanker, a supply ship, a cargo boat or any number of other vessels.
- Work on a vessel that is still “in navigation,” meaning that it can still be moved from place to place.
What Benefits Does the Jones Act Provide?
The Jones Act allows injured seamen to recover greater compensation than they would under workers’ compensation laws. We have helped clients recover money for:
- Living expenses incurred while unable to work, known as “maintenance”
- Medical bills, treatment and rehabilitation, known as “cure”
- Job training, if you cannot return to work at sea
- Past and future loss of income, pain and suffering, and disability
How Our Jones Act Lawyers Can Help
Maritime law is very complex, and unraveling a situation to determine what laws apply takes a high level of knowledge and skill. It can be challenging to figure out whether the Jones Act applies or if, instead, the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act applies. The legal team at Saunders & Chabert knows how to analyze injury cases and take the appropriate steps to help our clients. Much of our practice is devoted to handling maritime claims, so we have the experience to handle even the most complex issues.
Contact a Louisiana Jones Act Lawyer
Free Consultation
If you were injured on a commercial vessel or in an offshore accident, we welcome the opportunity to talk to you about your legal options and assess whether the Jones Act applies to your case. For a free consultation, call 225-771-8100 or submit the form below.