Florida Jones Act Attorneys

Due to the dangerous nature of working at sea, sailors, dock workers, drilling platform employees and other maritime workers face serious injuries every day. Bad weather, slippery surfaces, heavy machinery and shipboard fires pose special and serious risks to maritime workers. Recognizing this, the state of Florida and the Federal government have established a special set of maritime and admiralty laws that protect workers who are injured or killed on, under or near navigable waters. Some worker protections that apply on land, such as workers' compensation laws, are not available to maritime employees; instead, they are covered by special maritime laws. Two important Federal laws, the Jones Act and the Death on the High Seas act, allow maritime workers who are hurt or killed in the line of duty and their families to hold the responsible parties liable in a court of law.

The Jones Act is a Federal law passed in 1920 that regulates sailing within the United States. Among other things, the act allows seamen (defined as workers who spend more than 30 percent of their time working on a vessel on navigable waters) to collect compensation for medical bills and living expenses ("cure" and "maintenance") while they're out of work. They may also file lawsuits when they are injured on the job by the carelessness of their captains, their ships' owners or their colleagues, or by an unseaworthy vessel. Damages injured seamen can collect under the Jones Act include not only the money to cover medical bills, but also compensation for any lost wages, lost earning capacity, pain and suffering, mental anguish and disfigurement. Survivors of seamen killed in the line of duty may also file a wrongful death claim under the Jones Act or the Death on the High Seas Act, which allows dependent survivors of anyone who dies more than three miles offshore -- including those who do not qualify as seamen under the Jones Act -- to sue the responsible party for the loss of their loved one's wages.

Working on the water can be rewarding, but it can also be dangerous. If you or someone you love has been injured or killed at sea because of someone else's negligence, you have the right to hold that person responsible in a court of law. But you should move fast -- water, time and an unscrupulous employer can all work to destroy evidence and make it harder to get your day in court. For a free consultation with a Jacksonville Jones Act lawyer from the Florida firm of Farah and Farah, call our Jacksonville office today.

For a free evaluation of your case, call our Jacksonville office today at 1.800.611.0478