Can an injury on a fixed platform be covered under the Jones Act? What about an injury that occurs on land?

If you get hurt working on an offshore fixed platform are you necessarily a longshoreman? Well the short answer to that is maybe not.

A lot of Jones Act seamen actually get assigned to work on fixed platforms temporarily. It's the same thing as if you're a Jones Act seaman and you actually are working on land when you get injured. If you're a Jones Act seaman and you're assigned to a vessel and you happen to go on a fixed platform for a short period of time or if you happen to go on land for a short period of time, you don't lose your Jones Act status. If you're injured on a fixed platform but you're actually a Jones Act seaman, you're going to be able to file suit under the Jones Act, not under the Longshore Act. The location of your injury does not determine whether you fall under the Longshore Act or the Jones Act.

Call us if you have any questions about the way you got hurt, the location where you got hurt, or if whether or not the Jones Act applies to your case.