I was working as a deckhand or tankerman on a barge and got injured. What are my legal rights?

A: If you were working as a deckhand or tankerman on a barge and you were injured, you almost certainly have legal rights under a federal law known as the Jones Act.  You probably also have rights to "maintenance and cure" and rights under federal maritime law.

The Jones Act provides substantial legal rights to an injured "seaman."  If you were working on a barge as a deckhand or tankerman, you almost certainly qualify as a "seaman."  If qualify as a "seaman," you can bring a case under the Jones Act for negligence.

Our firm has represented a lot of deckhands and tankermen for injury claims where the injury occurred on a barge or pushboat.  It most cases, we recommend that you consult an experienced maritime injury attorney about your rights, if you are considering hiring an attorney to help you with your legal case.

We do not recommend that you consult with just any lawyer, because in our experience most lawyers do not represent deckhands and tankermen on a regular basis.

You can order our FREE book on maritime injury cases by clicking on this link.