Since 1920, workers at sea have had laws that specifically apply to them and their well-being, should anything go wrong. These are part of what is commonly known as the Jones Act. Through this, you can partner with a Covington Jones Act lawyer to pursue compensation for injuries or damages you may have suffered while on the job.
The over three decades of combined experience from Scott Vicknair Injury Lawyers all add up to a wealth of knowledge that can serve your maritime injury case for the better. Contact a Covington maritime injury lawyer as soon as you can so we can begin building your case.
How a Jones Act Lawyer Can Help Your Maritime Injury Case
The rules that apply at sea come with their own details and nuances that require special attention in order to have success in court. The Covington personal injury lawyers at Scott Vicknair Injury Lawyers have invested the time and energy to become familiar with these unique sets of rules so that you do not have to. We can aid your fight for the same relief as those on land in several ways.
- Gather evidence
- Present you with options
- Take on the burden of legal work
- Aid in investigations
- Keep the company and insurance accountable
- Answer your questions
- Push back against defense tactics
- Argue on your behalf in court or in settlement negotiations
There will be several areas of the Jones Act that warrant addressing as we pursue a settlement. We will have to make sure you and your accident qualify under the Jones Act’s specific criteria. We will then assess the applicable damages and the important time limitations for injured maritime workers.
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504-500-1111Admiralty Court vs. Traditional Court
Being injured in a car accident on land means a pretty standard path into the traditional court system. Being injured at sea on a qualifying vessel, however, means your case goes into a whole different system known as the admiralty court.
What is important to know is that in the U.S., admiralty court is held by the regular U.S. courts, but it operates with a different set of rules, according to U.S. Code § 1333. These rules come from the Jones Act, as well as laws like the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), and 33 U.S.C. §2701.
All of these combine to provide laws which U.S. admiralty courts have used to guide their rulings. These rulings have also shaped maritime law, like Producers Drilling Company v. Gray, which established that a vessel qualifies under the Jones Act more by how it is used rather than its physical properties. Your Covington Jones Act attorney will be familiar with more of these.
Possible Damages You Could Claim in a Jones Act Injury Case
Work at sea has no shortage of hazards. The types of potential injuries and the ways they can happen vary widely. If you have been injured, consider discussing it with a Jones Act attorney in Covington soon.
- Avoidable severe weather accidents
- Accidents stemming from insufficient training
- Poor ventilation or airflow in enclosed spaces
- Burns from a fire, explosion, or hazardous chemical
- Poorly designed, poorly maintained, or improperly operated equipment injuries
- Slip and fall injuries from preventable slippery conditions
The specifics of what happened to you will need a much more in-depth conversation with an experienced Jones Act lawyer in Covington. The sooner the better when it comes to when to hire a maritime injury lawyer. Court procedures can take a long time, especially if a case goes to trial, but your bills will not wait.
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504-500-1111Getting Workers’ Compensation Through The Jones Act
In our discussions, we will go over whether your case qualifies for workers’ compensation as it is laid out in the Jones Act. If it is right for you, we will invest our efforts in ensuring that we fight to get your employer to pay you what you fully deserve. They may want to save money, but it is too late if you are already injured.
Being just anyone who was injured at sea does not mean you qualify for Jones Act workers’ compensation. Specifically, you must be a longshoreman, dockworker, shipyard worker, offshore oil rig worker, seaman, or merchant mariner. Also, you must have been injured while performing your work duties.
You are also at the mercy of the Jones Act’s need for you to prove the vessel’s unseaworthiness, as defined by 7.6 Unseaworthiness Defined, and/or the company’s negligence. While this may feel like a lot of work on our part, working at sea is already known to be hazardous, so this way, not just any accident from normal hazards becomes a claim.
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504-500-1111Compensation We Can Fight For in Your Maritime Injury Case
Your employer may resist it, but if we are successful, there’s a range of damages for which we can get you compensation. Your accident likely affected many areas of your life, so we see that it is only fair that you get help. These are just some of the areas we can address through your settlement.
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages, past, present, and future
- Physical therapy
- Psychotherapy
- Temporary or permanent disability
- Mental and emotional anguish
- Quality of life decreases
- Pain and suffering
These are also known as examples of maintenance and cure in maritime law. We will go over what does “maintenance and cure” actually mean for an injured seaman, which will be part of our consultations when you contact us. In practice, it is really just old language for categories of compensation in these types of cases.
Contact a Covington Jones Act Attorney Today
Unfortunately, the world will not wait around for you to make a miraculous full recovery and return to work. To offset the burdens thrown upon you by an accident while working at sea, contact a Covington Jones Act lawyer with Scott Vicknair Injury Lawyers and tell us about your accident. Your compensation can contribute to the $100 million we have already secured for clients.