Working at sea means that you are involved in an industrial career with a long and storied history. Seamen have worked in remote areas doing a variety of jobs for well over a hundred years, and aboard smaller vessels for much, much longer than that. If you are a mariner, you know that it's a special type of occupation for a special type of worker.
You also probably know that working on a ship is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. The reasons for this are numerous. The number of workers on a ship at sea is fixed, and the amount of work that needs to be done can sometimes vary. If more work needs to be done, those same men need to work longer hours. Good old-fashioned greed can drive ship owners to demand more and more productivity out of a finite amount of workers.
When weather conditions suddenly shift, an overworked and tired seaman can suffer a serious personal injury. Human error can result in serious injuries or even death.
Human error isn't the only cause of ship related accidents. Equipment failure, exposure to chemicals, asbestos or fire, falling objects, inclement weather, all of these factors can lead to serious injury aboard ships.
Complicating matters is that a seaman in a remote area won't likely be able to get swift and sophisticated medical attention until they land ashore.
For several decades, Oregon ship workers (and ship workers throughout the United States) have been protected by the federal Jones Act. The Jones Act, or the Merchant Marine Act, was passed in 1920 and it provides a remedy for worker, captain and crew, who are injured aboard ships.
From a head or brain injury on a container ship in Astoria, Oregon to a back injury in an accident on a cargo ship off the shores of Newport, Oregon or a neck injury or broken bone occurring on a fishing vessel off the shores of Seaside, the Jones Act can provide you the monetary compensation you deserve. A tanker, a research vessel, a salvage tug, as long as one meets the definition of a seaman under the Jones Act, coverage will apply and you can receive compensation. Even injuries aboard a luxury liner or cruise ship can qualify for coverage under the Jones Act and Oregon maritime law.
The following types of injuries are so common aboard shipping vessels that substantial precedent exists for the crewman or seaman compensation:
- slipping on the deck
- food poisoning
- lack of safety precautions
- being struck by a falling object
- equipment failure
- extreme weather exposure
- construction accidents
- fires and explosions
- being thrown by rough seas
- failure to remedy a dangerous condition on the ship
- lack of available medical care
The above list is by no means exhaustive. Unlike a worker's compensation claim that might be severely limited, a ship worker in Astoria, for example, who suffers personal injuries can recover for the full extent of injuries suffered. From a policy perspective, it is a fair trade off for what is sometimes years working one of the most dangerous and difficult jobs on the planet.
If you or a loved one has been injured or has died aboard a ship, contact an Oregon Jones Act Lawyer today. An experienced and aggressive Oregon maritime lawyer knows how to commence an immediate and thorough investigation into the facts of the accident-the conditions aboard the ship, the circumstances surrounding the accident, ship logs, maintenance records and work schedules, among other things. In the appropriate case, you may be entitled to exemplary or punitive damages, which can be large money awards designed to punish particularly bad conduct on the part of the ship owner.
If you have spent time performing such a difficult job, you may be entitled to compensation for the injuries you suffered as a result of your sacrifice.