Baton Rouge Maritime Accidents Law Firm

Maritime and Admiralty Law – the Jones Act

Federal Law, the Jones Act, when applicable, establishes the legal liability for a maritime employer to fully compensate an injured worker for injuries or the family for the death of the worker.

Many offshore oil production jobs qualify for Jones Act protection if the work was being done on or in support of a vessel in navigation.  Drilling ships or movable (jack up) drilling rigs and barges are considered vessels under the Jones Act.  All members of the drilling crew are considered seamen entitled to Jones Act protection.  Crew and supply boat crewmembers are also covered by the Jones Act.  Even helicopter pilots and those aboard these craft going to and from oil exploration platforms have Jones Act protection.

The Jones Act also covers work on inland waters such as the Mississippi River, as well as in coastal marshes and on the high seas.

Most maritime personal injury cases involve the negligence of another member of the crew, whether operating drilling equipment, cranes, lifts or hoists, or other machinery and equipment.  A member of a drilling crew can rightly be considered at the mercy of the driller during pipe tripping and other operations.  The driller is dependent on the willingness of the oil exploration company to provide safe equipment and to require safe operating procedures, even if that means less drilling production.  For this reason, many maritime personal injury accidents result from an unsafe work environment. 

Experience Matters:  Some of our attorneys have been roustabouts and deckhands offshore, and one has rough-necked on drilling rigs, worked the derricks, and was a relief driller both before and while going through the years of study required to become an attorney. 

In addition to the proof required by Personal Injury Damages Law, most Jones Act cases require proof of an unsafe working environment, not only thru the testimony of those who were working at the time of accident, but also through an expert in maritime safety work procedures.  We use this expert to educate the jury not only on customary safe work practices but also concerning U.S. Coast Guard or other regulations when violated.

Having an attorney who has education, training and work experience not only in the law but also in doing the work actually being done at the time of the accident provides an advantage - the ability to cross examine the witnesses testifying for the maritime vessel owner or operator without the need for interpretation.