Jones Act Workers’ Compensation Claims

Jan. 26, 2012 - PRLog -- Claims under the Jones Act can be thought of as Jones Act Workers’ Compensation claims, and they are designed to provide damages to workers injured in an accident while employed in a maritime profession. Jones Act claims can be difficult to resolve on your own if you don’t have a Jones Act attorney helping you protect your rights to the full amount of damages you are entitled to.

Damages for Jones Act Claims: Lost Wages

One of the most obvious impacts of being injured on the job is that you will be unable to work for a period of time as you recover. Under the Jones Act, you are entitled to recover both past wages you have already lost and estimated future wages, should your injury need more time to heal.

Proving you current lost wages is fairly simple through your pay records, but this is not the case for estimating future wages. While you may be able to calculate how much you’d make each additional week you are out of work easily, you may find it difficult to determine about how long you may be on temporary disability.

This is where a Jones Act attorney can be helpful in your Jones Act Workers’ Compensation claim. The estimate for future lost wages is typically based on your doctor’s analysis of your current state of injury and prognosis for your recovery.

Damages for Jones Act Claims: Pain and Suffering

Pain and suffering damages are often the most disputed and contested type of damages an injured maritime worker can seek. A catastrophic injury can be traumatic for both the worker and his or her family as they deal with the potential for long-term disability, disfigurement, or in some cases, the loss of a loved one. Damages for pain and suffering provide compensation to cover these emotional traumas and to help with life adjustments such as special home modifications to accommodate a permanent disability.

Because there are usually no tangible expenses or losses related to pain and suffering it can be difficult to estimate and seek a specific amount. Your Jones Act lawyer may look at Jones Act claims that are similar to yours to see what amount they were awarded.

Damages for Jones Act Claims: Fringe Benefits

As a maritime worker, especially offshore, you may have been entitled to fringe benefits without even being aware of it. Meals aboard the vessel, retirement benefits, and health insurance are all considered fringe benefits – and you may lose them when you are unable to work after a maritime accident.

In a Jones Act Workers’ Compensation claim, you have the right to seek restoration of these benefits and continuation of your offshore benefits while you are laid up on land. If your employer tries to deny any of these benefits, a Jones Act attorney may be able to help.

Contact a Jones Act Attorney for Jones Act Workers’ Compensation

The Jones Act provides you with certain protections your employer may not want you to know about. When you file a Jones Act Workers’ Compensation claim it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be offered help from your employer in seeking your rightful benefits. A Jones Act attorney from The Young Firm in New Orleans, Louisiana can help you if you have suffered injury in a maritime accident that falls under maritime law or the Jones Act.

Though we are based in Louisiana, we are ready and able to help injured victims throughout the U.S. When you are ready to get started with your Jones Act claims, we urge you to contact us today for a FREE case evaluation – call 1-504-680-4100 or toll-free at 1-866-938-6113. Visit us at: http://www.jonesactlaw.com/contact.cfm

# # #

Maritime accidents are an unfortunate part of working at a harbor or shipyard, or on a tug boat/barge or oil rig. When your job places you near the water where you are employed in a maritime trade you’re covered by the Jones Act Law