Maritime Accident Lawyers  &  Offshore Injury Lawyers 

Because the Jones Act is extremely complex, it takes an experienced maritime attorney to navigate the law and help offshore workers and their families obtain the compensation to which they are entitled.

View Our Attorney Bios Bryant Fitts Ryan Zehl

The Jones Act and maritime attorneys at Fitts Zehl, LLP in Houston have successfully recovered over 100 million dollars in damages for workers throughout Texas and the United States since 2007.  Our experience representing injured seaman in the courtroom enables our trial lawyers to reject inadequate settlements offers by the insurance company and often resolve the case for substantially more at or shortly before trial.  

In the past two years alone, Fitts Zehl has been recognized on Good Morning America and CNN, as well as in the Washington Post, The New York Times, Forbes, the Dallas Morning News, the International Herald Tribune, and the Houston Chronicle.

If you or a loved one was injured offshore, contact one of our experienced maritime lawyers for a free consultation by clicking here or calling 800-865-0771.

The Jones Act
The Jones Act was passed by Congress in 1920 in an attempt to provide safer working conditions for seafaring employees who spend at least 30% of their time working offshore. While it helps injured seaman recover damages and obtain necessary medical treatment, working offshore can still be a dangerous job.

In the early 1970s, Jones Act lawyers were successful in persuading Congress to update and strengthen the Jones Act; as a result, the Jones Act now also covers matters that arise:

• in international waters, or
• with internationally owned vessels, or
• for foreign (non-U.S.) sea workers

Two Types of Compensation
Jones Act attorneys fought on behalf of offshore workers in Congress to expand the ways that their clients could be compensated for their damages and offshore injuries.

There are now two categories of compensation that are provided by the Jones Act:

Maintenance and Cure, Transportation, and Wages
An employer who is found liable for a sea worker’s injury will be required to pay for the worker’s medical care, the transportation to a medical facility, and the wages that the worker is due for the complete voyage. This is commonly referred to as "maintenance and cure." The employer is required to pay these benefits until the worker has reached his/her maximum level of recovery from the injury.

Negligence Damages
Jones Act lawyers also advocated for negligence damages; that is, compensation for pain and suffering, physical disfigurement, and the mental anguish suffered by the injured sea worker. This is a relatively recent addition to Jones Act awards.

Talk to a Fitts Zehl Jones Act Attorney Today
If you or a loved one was injured while working offshore, contact a Jones Act lawyer at Fitts Zehl to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.

Fitts Zehl was recently named 1 of 5 “Power Lawyers and Law Firms of 2009.