What is the Jones Act?

Who is Covered by the Jones Act?

If your job involves working on a vessel at sea, along the Gulf Coast, in a river system, or on an offshore oil rig, you are not entitled to workers’ compensation. Instead, you are covered by federal admiralty law, also known as “maritime law” or the “Jones Act.”

In order to be covered under the Jones Act, you must be assigned to a “vessel” and your job must contribute to the mission of that vessel. Basically, any job on the vessel will fit the definition.

The following is a list of the types of jobs often covered by the Jones Act:

• Captains and crew members
• Roughnecks, roustabouts, drillers, toolpushers, derrickmen, company men, OIMs (Offshore Installation Managers), mud engineers, deck engineers
• Ordinary seaman, able-bodied seaman, deckhands, engineers, mates
• Tankermen and Barge workers
• Cooks, galleyhands, and other supporting jobs
  
  

Maritime Injury Attorneys

We have decades of experience winning cases against practically every company in the maritime and offshore industry. We get record-setting verdicts and settlements for our clients, including the well-known case of Captain Phillips and the Somali pirate incident.

Jones Act Lawyers

Federal maritime law and the Jones Act are extremely complicated. Only a handful of law firms employ Jones Act lawyers who can handle these types of complex cases. The average Jones Act settlement varies, but at VB Attorneys, we have a track record of success when it comes to helping injured mariners get the Jones Act compensation they deserve for their injury claims.

Brian Beckcom, one of VB Attorneys’ founding partners, is widely considered one of the nation’s leading Jones Act attorneys for cases involving maritime injuries. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation on your Jones Act injury.