Federal Law Protecting Injured Seamen & Offshore Workers
The Jones Act — formally known as the Merchant Marine Act of 1920 — is a federal maritime law that protects seamen who are injured while working on vessels in navigation. Unlike traditional workers’ compensation, the Jones Act allows injured seafarers to file a lawsuit against their employer for negligence and recover significant damages.
This law applies to workers injured on:
Tugboats & towboats
Offshore supply vessels (OSVs)
Barges & tank barges
Drilling rigs & jack-ups
Crew boats & commercial fishing vessels
Pilot boats & ship-assist vessels
Cargo, tanker, and chemical carriers
Dredging and port-service vessels
If you were hurt while serving as a crew member on a vessel, the Jones Act gives you specific rights — and powerful legal remedies.
Your Rights Under the Jones Act
The Jones Act gives injured seamen the right to recover compensation if their employer’s negligence contributed to the accident even slightly. This is known as the feather-weight causation standard, one of the strongest protections for workers in U.S. law.
Benefits you may be entitled to include:
Medical expenses and future medical care
Lost wages and loss of earning capacity
Pain, suffering, and mental anguish
Punitive damages (for failure to provide maintenance & cure)
Reimbursement for room and board (maintenance)
Every Jones Act case is unique — and employers and insurers move fast to limit your recovery. The sooner you speak with a maritime attorney, the better.
Who Qualifies as a "Seaman"?
To be protected under the Jones Act, you must meet the definition of a seaman, meaning:
✅ You work on a vessel in navigation
✅ You contribute to the vessel’s mission
✅ You spend a substantial portion of your work time on the vessel (generally 30%+)*
Chandris, Inc. v. Latsis, 515 U.S. 347 (1995).
This includes offshore crews, deckhands, engineers, tankermen, cooks, divers, pilots, and many others serving aboard vessels operating in the Gulf of Mexico, the Houston Ship Channel, Texas ports, inland waterways, rivers, and coastal waters.
Types of Jones Act Injuries
Accidents at sea and in port environments are often serious. Common Jones Act injury cases include:
Back, neck, and spinal injuries
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
Slip, trip, and fall accidents on deck
Winch, mooring line & crane failures
Vessel collisions & allisions
Burns, explosions, & chemical exposure
Amputations & crush injuries
Unsafe working conditions & unseaworthy vessels
While employers often try to blame workers or push them to return to duty too soon, you have rights — and we help protect them.
Speak with our Jones Act Maritime Trial Lawyers
If you were injured offshore or while working on a vessel, contact us before giving a statement or signing paperwork. We help clients injured in:
Houston & Galveston
Corpus Christi & Port Aransas
Port Arthur & Beaumont
Brownsville & Gulf Coast ports
Gulf of Mexico offshore platforms and vessels
Texas inland waterways & tugboat routes
📞 Call (713) 224-6622
🌐 GilmanAllison.com
✅ Free consultation
✅ No fee unless we win
✅ Protecting injured maritime workers statewide
