Jones Act Law & Legal Definition
The Jones Act is a federal law which covers injuries to crewmen at sea, gives jurisdiction to the federal courts and sets up various rules for conduct of these cases under maritime law. A claim for compensation for damages at sea is often referred to as a "Jones Act case." The Jones Act is a federal law that provides remedies to seamen who are injured while working on a vessel.
The Jones Act extends the provisions of the Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA), a statute that provides remedies for injured workers, to provide similar remedies for seamen. As a result, an injured seaman can recover damages from the employer when an employer or a co-worker's negligence causes an injury. A person whose work is covered under the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act may be treated as a Jones Act seaman in some cases. People injured on offshore oil rigs, ships, barges, riverboat casinos, tug boats, shrimp boats, fishing boats, trawlers, tankers, crew boats, ferries, water taxis, and all other vessels on the ocean and all intra-coastal rivers and canals, as well as drivers, divers, and underwater personnel are typically covered.
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