Jones Act employer may be liable to injured seaman for injury that occurs off the ship
Injured offshore workers often ask whether they are entitled to bring a claim against their employer if they are injured onshore.
The answer is "Yes," Jones Act seaman may bring a claim against their Jones Act employer even if they weren't injured on the water, or on the boat, as long as they were injured "in the service of the ship."
This has been true at least since 1966, when the United State Supreme Court decided the Hopson v. Texaco case. (You can find that case at 383 U.S. 262). In the Hopson case, a seaman was traveling to the U.S. Consul in a taxicab in a foreign country. The tax crashed, the seaman was hurt, and he sued his Jones Act employer.
The seaman was going to the U.S. Consul as part of his job duties (he was going to get papers so he could get medical care in the United States).
The Supreme Court held that the Jones Act employer was responsible to the injured employee and liable for the negligence of the taxi driver since the taxi driver was acting as an agent of the Jones Act employer.
So, if you qualify as a Jones Act seaman, you may recover damages even if you are not injured on a vessel.
For more information, please contact Brian Beckcom at 713.224.7800, or toll free at 877.724.7800, or visit one of the firm's websites:
www.vbattorneys.com
www.themaritimelawyer.com
www.maritimeaccidentattorney.com
***************
About the firm
Brian Beckcom is a Board Certified Personal Injury Attorney at Vujasinovic & Beckcom, P.L.L.C., a Houston, Texas-based law firm with a national practice. All the attorneys at the firm are board certified in personal injury law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
The firm handles serious injury and death cases, as well as business and insurance cases, on a contingency fee basis. The firm has a substantial docket of Jones Act and maritime injury cases.
***************
The answer is "Yes," Jones Act seaman may bring a claim against their Jones Act employer even if they weren't injured on the water, or on the boat, as long as they were injured "in the service of the ship."
This has been true at least since 1966, when the United State Supreme Court decided the Hopson v. Texaco case. (You can find that case at 383 U.S. 262). In the Hopson case, a seaman was traveling to the U.S. Consul in a taxicab in a foreign country. The tax crashed, the seaman was hurt, and he sued his Jones Act employer.
The seaman was going to the U.S. Consul as part of his job duties (he was going to get papers so he could get medical care in the United States).
The Supreme Court held that the Jones Act employer was responsible to the injured employee and liable for the negligence of the taxi driver since the taxi driver was acting as an agent of the Jones Act employer.
So, if you qualify as a Jones Act seaman, you may recover damages even if you are not injured on a vessel.
For more information, please contact Brian Beckcom at 713.224.7800, or toll free at 877.724.7800, or visit one of the firm's websites:
www.vbattorneys.com
www.themaritimelawyer.com
www.maritimeaccidentattorney.com
***************
About the firm
Brian Beckcom is a Board Certified Personal Injury Attorney at Vujasinovic & Beckcom, P.L.L.C., a Houston, Texas-based law firm with a national practice. All the attorneys at the firm are board certified in personal injury law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
The firm handles serious injury and death cases, as well as business and insurance cases, on a contingency fee basis. The firm has a substantial docket of Jones Act and maritime injury cases.
***************
