Overview
The Jones Act (46 U.S.C. § 30104) protects seamen and maritime workers injured at sea, on rigs, or aboard vessels. It provides two distinct types of relief: automatic no-fault “maintenance and cure” benefits during recovery, and full negligence-based compensation when employer negligence or vessel unseaworthiness contributed to the injury. PFAS, asbestos, diesel exhaust, and benzene exposures are common.
Who is affected
- Commercial fishermen and deckhands
- Offshore oil & gas crews (rigs, platforms)
- Tug, barge, and ferry crews
- Cruise ship and other maritime employees
Conditions and diseases
- PFAS-linked cancers (kidney, testicular, thyroid, prostate, etc.)
- Mesothelioma, lung cancer, throat cancers (asbestos)
- Traumatic injuries (back, shoulder, head)
- Catastrophic injuries