Jones Act and Injury at Sea Information

What is the Jones Act? The Jones Act was written to help injured seamen. The Jones Act also protects U.S. interests and the U.S. fleet and ensures that the U.S. has a fleet of merchant ships. What kind of ships are covered by the Jones Act? Seamen injured on any kind of ship, offshore oil rig, work or platform barge, tug boat, tanker, casino boat, crew boat, shrimp boat, fishing boat, ferry, as well as almost any special purpose vessel, divers, commercial offshore divers, and other underwater workers are also usually covered. A Jones Act case is an IMPORTANT case most of the time. At Vujasinovic & Beckcom, we have two websites dedicated to providing answers to your Jones Act questions. This website is one. The other website is www.themaritimelawyer.com. If you cannot find an answer to your question on either website, call the firm directly, toll free, at 1.877.724.7800. One of the firm's board certified lawyers will be happy to talk with you free of charge. Jones Act Information Please feel free to browse around this website and the Maritime Lawyer website. You'll find information about maritime and Jones Act legal issues, with discussions of unseaworthiness, maintenance and cure, choosing a doctor, getting medical care, whether you are required to give a statement, and lots of other common issues in Jones Act cases. Jones Act Injury We'll also try to give you some idea of what to expect in your Jones Act case, as well as what you employer and the insurance company may do during the case. (Of course, it's impossible to predict these things in advance. BUT, when you have handled hundreds of Jones Act cases like we have, certain patterns of employer behavior, the "tricks" they use, pop up often. We'll tell you about those patterns and "tricks" so you know what to expect.