Have you or a loved one suffered an injury or illness during the course of employment on a vessel or other floating movable structure? You may be entitled to compensation under a federal statute known as the Jones Act. The Jones Act is not “workers’ compensation” in the traditional sense. It is designed for maritime workers and seamen to be compensated under specific circumstances.

Barnes Law Firm represents people and injured workers throughout Houston who have suffered a personal injury under the Jones Act. If you or a loved one has been injured during the course of employment at sea or on a vessel or other floating movable structure, and have sustained physical injury, disfigurement, disability, damages, or losses, including pain and suffering, contact our Houston-based lawyers today.

The Jones Act typically applies, but is not limited to, a seaman employed to contribute to the function or mission of:

• Freighters, ships and semi-submersibles
• Jack-ups, lay barges and tankers
• Research vessels
• Riverboat casinos, restaurant boats and cruise ships
• Tug boats and row boats
• Shrimp boats and fishing boats
• Crew boats, ferries and water taxis

The act generally allows an injured or ill seaman, or the representative of a deceased seaman, to sue to recover damages from the seaman’s employer if the injuries, illness or death occurred or arose during the course of the seaman’s employment, and were caused by:

• The employer’s negligence
• A co-worker’s negligence
• An unsafe condition on or off the vessel — referred to as an unseaworthy claim
• Inadequate or unavailable medical care
• The employer’s failure to rescue or search for the seaman if they fell or jumped overboard

The injured or ill seaman is typically eligible to recover money for medical expenses, lost wages, loss of future earning capacity and emotional distress. The Jones Act also allows family members to recover after losing a loved one.

A Jones Act claim usually must be filed within three years of the date the seaman was injured or the date the seaman discovered the illness. In addition to a Jones Act claim, the loved ones or the representative of the seaman who died may also seek compensation under general maritime law, Death on the High Seas Act or other applicable federal statute.

If you have been injured on water in the course of your employment or believe you are entitled to benefits under the Jones Act, contact our Houston, Texas law firm for a free evaluation of your legal options.

Call us toll free (888) 661-4002 or locally at (713) 652-4002. If your injury prevents you from coming to us, we can come to you. Se habla español

Barnes Law Firm works strictly on a contingent fee basis and advances all upfront costs of a case including the investigation, case development, litigation, expert witnesses and court costs. Those expenses, in addition to our fee, are deducted from the ultimate recovery. And if we are not successful in a recovery in your case, we absorb all costs and charge no fee.