Thousands of brave Americans operate on ships or offshore platforms in America’s waters. And sadly, many become wounded each year in maritime or offshore accidents. For them, restoring their life to normality can be a battle. But they have one persistent and tough security. At least they have the Jones Act.

Named after its author, Washington state Sen. Wesley Jones, and also known as the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, this regulation protects injured seamen, sailors, maritime workers or offshore oil rig workers in the occurrence of trauma. It holds a owner, captain or crew of a ship or rig responsible for workers’ injuries, especially where unseaworthiness of the vessel or rig, or carelessness of the crew, owner or captain, caused the accident.

Thanks to this wise and momentous maritime act, injured maritime workers — or survivors of those who are killed — have recourse. They can assert a Jones Act claim through a Jones Act lawsuit to recover their financial losses. To start, they only have to contact a Jones Act attorney with seasoned law firm Jim S. Adler & Associates, in which thousands of injured Texans have put their trust for more than thirty years.

A Jones Act injury may erupt due to faulty gear on a ship, barge, tugboat, dredge or other vessel, as well as an offshore oil rig or platform. Such an injury may happen when a vessel’s safety precautions are not up to standard. It can also come up if a working environment in general is unsafe. In these situations, Jones Act protections ought to apply.

Vessels or platforms on which Jones Act injuries can occur include ferries, trawlers, tug boats, water taxis, supply boats, shrimp boats, barges, riverboats, semi-submersible vessels, tankers, drill ships, oil rigs and jack-up rigs. Workers injured or who die during transport from or to an offshore oil platform or vessel, or even injured while a ship is at dock, also are covered by the Jones Act.

These safeguards and protections are an injured maritime worker’s legal right. But to be claimed legally, an experienced Jones Act lawyer is required. She or he or must realize the complicated language of the extensive law, which also is known as Jones Act 46 U.S.C. The act was meticulously reworked and re-codified in 2006, so up-to-date understanding is essential.

A knowledgeable Jones Act attorney acting on behalf of a wounded maritime worker also can help protect her or him against opposing interests. As an example, an employer may suggest a swift financial settlement that’s much less than what the injured employee is owed. A Jones Act lawyer could help keep that individual from the disappointment of taking a speedy but lesser settlement and thus losing the privilege to act further.

This frequently has been the case with Jones Act injuries, when affluent employers or owners want to avoid paying adequate compensation to wounded employees or to the survivors of workers who died while at work. But with support from a Jones Act lawyer and the Jones Act itself, justice can be found.