Jones Act
Hurt on a tug, barge, ferry or fishing boat? Your employer owes you more than maintenance and cure.
If you work on a tug, barge, ferry, fishing boat, supply vessel or ship and you were hurt on the job, you may be a "seaman" under the Jones Act. This federal law lets injured crew members sue their employer when the company's negligence played any part in the injury, even a small part.
Usually, if a significant part of your work time (often about 30%) is spent aboard a vessel in navigation and your work contributes to its mission, you may qualify. Deckhands, engineers, cooks, fishermen and tug and ferry crew often do. Call us and we will tell you where you stand.
Maritime law requires the vessel owner to pay maintenance and cure while you recover: a daily amount for living expenses, plus your medical care. The company owes this no matter who was at fault.
You may have another claim if the vessel was unseaworthy: worn or broken gear, unsafe lines, slippery decks, poor lighting or a short-handed crew.
Daniel represents injured crew members along the Pacific Coast, from San Diego and Los Angeles/Long Beach to Oakland and San Francisco, the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, including Dutch Harbor, and in Houston and Galveston.
Jones Act and other maritime injury claims generally must be filed within three years, and evidence on a vessel disappears quickly. Talk to a lawyer before you give the company or its insurer a recorded statement.
If you work on the docks, in a shipyard or on a pier rather than as a crew member, the Longshore Act usually covers you instead. Civilians hurt overseas on U.S. military bases or government contracts are covered by the Defense Base Act, which pays Longshore Act benefits. Not sure which law applies? Call us and we will sort it out.
Free consultation. No fee unless we win. Se habla español. Call (510) 856-4421.
Reviewed by Daniel Weltin, attorney at law. Updated November 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice for your case.
Call (510) 856-4421. Tell us about the vessel, your job and how you were hurt. The consultation is free, in English or Spanish.
We make sure the vessel owner pays maintenance and cure, your daily living expenses and medical care, while you recover.
We gather the logs, accident reports, crew statements and safety records to show negligence or unseaworthiness.
We negotiate with the vessel owner's insurer. If it will not pay fairly, we are ready to take your case to trial.
Hurt on the docks, in the yard or aboard ship? Protect your right to choose your own doctor.
Hurt on the job in California? Get your medical care, disability checks and a fair settlement. Se habla español.
Call (510) 856-4421. The consultation is free, in English or Spanish.
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