Call for a FREE Evaluation
502-222-2222Call
502-222-2222Call
While the workers’ compensation laws in Kentucky and Indiana protect employees who work on land, they do not protect employees who work on navigable waters. This includes the Ohio River. Fortunately, while workers’ compensation laws don’t protect these “seamen,” other laws do. One of these laws is the Jones Act.
At the Karl Truman Law Office, our experienced Jones Act lawyers are committed to protecting the rights of injured maritime workers. As a second-generation merchant marine, our firm’s founder and principal attorney Karl Truman knows firsthand the hardships maritime workers face every day. He is committed to helping his clients recover the maximum compensation they need to move forward.
The Jones Act is a federal law that provides important legal rights to maritime workers who don’t qualify for state workers’ compensation benefits. Specifically, it applies to maritime workers who qualify as “seamen.”
To qualify as a “seaman,” a maritime worker must spend a significant amount of his or her working time contributing to the mission of a vessel in navigation. A “significant amount of time” is generally understood to mean at least 30% of a worker’s time on the clock. A “vessel in navigation” is any vessel that is:
As a result, the Jones Act protects crew members, captains, officers, engineers, deckhands, stewards, fishermen, and other types of workers who spend their days onboard boats and ships on the Ohio River. It also protects workers such as divers whose work contributes to a vessel’s mission even though their primary job duties might not necessarily involve being onboard.
Jones Act benefits fall into two categories: (i) maintenance and cure benefits, and (ii) compensation for Jones Act negligence. These categories of benefits are very different.
Maintenance and cure benefits are available to injured seamen on a “no fault” basis. This means that injured seamen can obtain maintenance and cure benefits regardless of how they got injured on the job. These benefits cover necessary medical expenses for treating seamen’s job-related injuries, and they provide partial compensation for injured seamen’s lost wages.
Compensation for Jones Act negligence can fully cover the costs of a seaman’s job-related injuries. This includes not only medical expenses and lost wages, but also pain and suffering, post-traumatic stress, and other losses. However, unlike maintenance and cure benefits, obtaining this compensation requires proof that a seaman’s employer is responsible for the accident that caused the seaman’s injuries.
A Jones Act lawyer is a lawyer who helps seamen who have suffered job-related injuries. This includes filing claims for maintenance and cure benefits and seeking additional compensation for Jones Act negligence. Both types of claims present challenges for injured seamen, and hiring an experienced Jones Act lawyer is the best way for these maritime workers to protect their legal rights.
The services a Jones Act lawyer can provide include:
Do you have a claim under the Jones Act? Contact us to find out. To schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with an experienced Jones Act lawyer as soon as possible, call our office in Louisville, Kentucky, at (502) 222-2222 or in Jeffersonville, Indiana, at (812) 282-8500.
Disclaimer: Kentucky does not certify specialties in legal fields. The personal injury law information on this website provided by The Karl Truman Law Office is not meant to be taken as formal legal advice. If you need to speak with a personal injury attorney in the Louisville, Kentucky, or Jeffersonville, Indiana areas please contact us today.This website is not intended for viewing or usage by European Union citizens.
Terms & Conditions for SMS communication: Karl Truman Law Office will use SMS communications to contact those that have inquired about our services which include all practice areas listed on our site. Attempts to contact will cease after one month unless a case is accepted and signed with the Karl Truman Law Office, in which case we will continue to utilize our SMS feature for appropriate communications. Should there be any questions or concerns about our SMS communications, please call our office at 502.222.2222 or email us at [email protected]. You may opt out of these communications at any time by reply with STOP. Message and data rates may apply.
