Wounded Sailors Can Obtain Maritime Protection From 1920s Jones Act
Many unswerving U.S. Residents work on board vessels, ships or offshore rigs in our nation’s waters. And many suffer wounds every year in accidents aboard these rigs or vessels. That suggests they must discover a path to revive financial normalcy to their lives, which can sometimes be hard even in a sound economy. It also means they should turn to an established ally known as the Jones Act.
That law is named after Washington Sen. Wesley Jones, who wrote it in 1920. The Jones Act also is called the Merchant Marine Act of 1920 or Jones Act 46 U.S.C. This far-reaching law supports seamen, sailors, maritime employees and offshore oil platform crew to gain recompense if they are wounded on the job. The Jones Act comes into play when a culpable owner, captain or crew of a vessel or offshore platform causes an injury to an employee of the vessel or platform, or when that vessel or rig proves to be unseaworthy.
By claiming Jones Act protections, a wounded offshore worker — or her or his survivors if the wounds were deadly — can find a longtime legal basis for help in the Jones Act. Through it hurt employees can seek finance compensation for their injury. But to apply the Jones Act they are going to need a Jones Act lawyer, and that can come from veteran Texas legal firm Jim S. Adler & Associates.
Many different types of wounds are covered by the Jones Act, including broken bones and other injuries requiring operations, for example amputation. Those wounds may occur because a vessel’s working environment isn’t safe. They can be blamed on poor gear on a vessel or offshore rig. They can ensue when safety protocol on a vessel or platform are insufficient. Jones Act protections should work in any of these events.
As for which ships or rigs fall under Jones Act protections, they include ferries, trawlers, tug boats, water taxis, supply boats, shrimp boats, barges, riverboats, semi-submersible vessels, tankers, drill ships, oil rigs and also jack-up rigs. If an employee is harmed even while being transferred from or to a vessel or offshore rig, then that worker, also , is protected by Jones Act protections.
While bearing that in mind the hurt maritime worker needs a skilled Jones Act attorney to press his or her case. That case can involve complicated aspects of Jones Act law, as well as thorough revisions of the act when, in 2006, it was re-codified. Also known as Jones Act 46 U.S.C, the act is complicated enough that aveteran Jones Act attorney is vital.
Also important for a Jones Act lawyer is to shield a client from those who will not have the wounded person’s best interests at heart. This may include companies who attempt to mitigate their debt by offering to give a speedy and “low-ball” settlement which, if maritime employees accept, can stop them from pursuing further — and more suitable– reimbursement.
American citizens may recall how British co. BP attempted to do this with people who suffered as a result of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil platform explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico off shore from Louisiana. A seasoned Jones Act attorney can protect their clients from such methods by wealthy companies, and instead can apply Jones Act protections to gain the justice they deserve.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 28th, 2011 at 6:21 pm 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.