Is it best to wait until the doctor releases you before you file your maritime injury Jones Act claim?

Should you wait to get released by your doctor before you file a maritime claim? A lot of our potential clients will call and say that they're getting medical treatment but they want to wait until the doctor fully releases them before they file a claim. Well, I'm gonna tell you that there are a couple of reasons why you should not do this.

The first reason is you may be going to see a company chosen doctor. If that doctor releases you, chances he's gonna give you a full release even if you don't feel like you're ready to go back to work. At that point, it may be too late to try to pursue any type of claim.

Another reason it's not good to wait until the doctor releases you is many doctors will give you a qualified release. What this means is they'll tell you go back out there, try it, see how you do. Well, you're company's gonna require that you get a full release before they let you back on the boats or the oil rigs. So you're in a tough situation if you're gonna wait until the doctor releases you before you decide whether you're gonna pursue a claim or not.

We always recommend to our clients if you feel like you're seriously injured and you're getting serious medical treatment it's best to pursue to your claim at that point. Call us to discuss your rights, choices and options.