Maritime injuries are extremely common, and although not every one of them is fatal or debilitating, they often can be. According to a Texas maritime attorney the entire industry is considered to be a high-risk field of employment, so knowing a few details regarding the Texan maritime law that govern the maritime injury compensation claims is advised for those that work in the field, or have loved ones working offshore.
What is the Jones Act?
The Jones Act of 1920 was revised in 2006, and as of now, the federal statute determines all rules and regulations related to any and all maritime law injuries and compensation claims that occur on US waterways, as well as on US ports.
Which Maritime Professionals are Protected Under the Jones Act?
Maritime lawyers will explain that the primary reason why the modern version of the Jones Act exists is that it aims to protect maritime employees against employer negligence induced personal injuries, as they are generally not covered under the Maritime Law Worker’s Compensation Benefits Act since the injuries do not occur on US land.
However, according to maritime lawyers the Jones Act may not protect every person serving on board a ship, unfortunately, as there is a written down list of professional titles that can benefit from the Jones Act maritime attorney on getting injured.
Fishermen, sea mates, divers, anchors, drillers, engineers, pilots, cooks, and bartenders more or less constitute the list of professionals eligible to file for a maritime law injury compensation claim under the Jones Act.
What If Your Profession is Not Included in the List?
It is sometimes possible to be eligible for maritime lawyers to file a compensation claim, even if your profession is not included on the list, but it must fulfill the following requirements:
- The profession should involve working on a body of water (inland lakes, oceans and rivers)
- Professions that require working on a docked vessel can also be eligible
- At the time of the accident, the plaintiff must have been working in a position that required him/her to take up at least 30% of the total workload
- A large majority of the professional’s job hours must have been spent offshore
Do You Qualify for a Compensation Claim Under the Jones Act?
It is perfectly understandable if all of this feels confusing and you do not have an answer to this question even after reading the maritime law stipulations.
The laws are not clear or up-to-date enough, unfortunately for a lot of maritime workers, but there’s nothing to worry about, at least not as far as knowing where you stand is concerned. All you need to do is call up a reputed maritime lawyer to get a free legal consultation to see about receiving the justified compensation you deserve.
Do understand that time is always of the essence when it comes to maritime law injury compensation claims of any type, but especially so if it happens offshore. It could very well be that you got injured on deck three months ago and only reached land now. In such cases, time is already working against you and your maritime attorney, so act fast to get the compensation you are eligible for.
