Under the Jones Act, an injured worker can sue a vessel owner or operator if they were negligent, reckless, or otherwise careless in causing the injury. This includes cases where inadequate maintenance on the vessel may have contributed to the accident, or if hazardous work conditions led to an unsafe workplace environment. Additionally, crew members are eligible for compensation for maintenance and cure under certain circumstances even when no negligence can be proven.

For those injured in connection with their employment aboard a vessel, benefits available under the Jones Act include lost wages, medical bills, pain and suffering and disability and disfigurement caused by the injury sustained while in service of a vessel or group of vessels. Most employers are required to provide workers’ compensation insurance coverage that pays out regardless of fault. This is not the case for maritime employers. Many maritime workers assume they will never need to worry about filing a lawsuit against their employer after an injury in service of a vessel. But this is not always true; often, maritime injuries require complex litigation with multiple defendants involved. In these cases, filing a claim under the Jones Act is crucial for receiving full compensation for your losses due to an employer’s negligence or wrongdoing.