Trusted Texas City Jones Act attorneys with over a decade of maritime trial experience representing injured seamen and their families.
If you were hurt working offshore on a vessel out of Texas City, federal law gives you the right to sue your maritime employer directly, demand a jury trial, and recover damages without the caps imposed by state systems. At Greenberg Streich Injury Lawyers, we handle high-stakes maritime cases throughout the Gulf Coast. To speak with our Texas City, TX Jones Act lawyer, reach out for a free consultation.
Jones Act Lawyer Texas City, TX
The Jones Act is a federal statute, codified at 46 U.S.C. § 30104, that gives qualifying seamen the right to sue their employers for negligence. It bypasses the no-fault, capped workers’ compensation regime that most onshore employees rely on.
The practical advantage is enormous. A Jones Act seaman can recover full economic and non-economic damages, including pain and suffering, future medical care, and loss of earning capacity. The negligence standard is also unusually favorable. A seaman only has to show that the employer’s conduct played any part, even the slightest, in causing the injury. Our Jones Act attorneys in Texas City understand how to develop this evidence and how to push back when an employer mislabels a claim as ordinary workers’ compensation.
Types of Jones Act Cases We Handle in Texas City
The Port of Texas City, the surrounding ship channel, and the offshore platforms in the Gulf put a steady stream of vessel-based workers in harm’s way. Greenberg Streich Injury Lawyers represents injured crew members and their families across the full range of maritime work. Below are the case types we handle.
- Tug, towboat, and pushboat injuries. Crew on vessels working the Texas City ship channel face mooring line failures, deck hazards, and engine room incidents.
- Drilling rig and drillship injuries. Workers on jack-up rigs, semi-submersibles, and drillships often qualify as seamen even when supervisors insist otherwise.
- Supply vessel and crew boat accidents. Slips on wet decks, swing-rope injuries, and personnel-basket transfer falls are recurring causes of catastrophic harm.
- Offshore injuries. Outer Continental Shelf workers may have rights under the Jones Act, the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, or general maritime law, depending on their job duties.
- Maritime injuries. Beyond the Jones Act, claims for unseaworthiness and maintenance and cure are often available alongside the negligence case.
- Boating accidents. Recreational and commercial boating incidents involving negligent operation, alcohol, or vessel defects fall under maritime law.
- Refinery accidents. Some workers transfer between refinery work and vessel work, and the legal classification depends on time spent aboard.
- Explosion accidents. Vessel and platform explosions trigger overlapping federal and state remedies that need careful evaluation.
- Burn injuries. Engine room fires, hot oil exposures, and chemical burns aboard vessels are common in the Gulf.
- Brain injuries. A traumatic brain injury sustained on a vessel can qualify for full Jones Act damages.
- Wrongful death. The Jones Act provides a remedy when a seaman is killed in the course of employment. Death on the High Seas Act may also apply.
- Oilfield accidents. Workers who split time between land-based and vessel-based oilfield duties present complex seaman-status questions.
Why Choose Greenberg Streich Injury Lawyers for Jones Act in Texas City, TX?
Insider Maritime Experience
Before joining Greenberg Streich Injury Lawyers, Mike Streich worked at Royston, Rayzor, Vickery & Williams, one of the oldest maritime injury firms in Texas, and at Phelps Dunbar in Louisiana, where he represented vessel owners and offshore companies in catastrophic injury claims. Part of his early work involved serving as an on-call first responder to maritime incidents, conducting shipboard investigations in the hours and days after a vessel or port event. He also spent a year as in-house counsel to an offshore construction company.
Mike has seen exactly how maritime employers and their insurers prepare a defense, dispute seaman status, suppress maintenance and cure rates, and structure low-ball pre-suit offers. He represented Lloyd’s of London syndicates in catastrophic offshore claims before switching to plaintiff work. As a personal injury lawyer in Texas City, TX Mike now uses that defense-side knowledge to push results in favor of injured seamen.
Trial Results in Maritime Cases
Our attorneys have recovered over $375 million for injured clients across our practice areas. Mike personally represented a Jones Act seaman who suffered a traumatic brain injury at work, resulting in a $16 million settlement. Other maritime results in the firm’s portfolio include multi-million-dollar settlements for vessel-based injuries.
Matt Greenberg has practiced for more than 12 years and is licensed in Texas, Louisiana, and Arizona. Matt earned his J.D. at Baylor Law School and is recognized by Lawdragon, the National Trial Lawyers, and Super Lawyers. He is a member of the American Association for Justice and the Houston Trial Lawyers Association.
How Our Firm Operates
Our Texas City Jones Act attorneys handle cases on a contingency fee basis. There is no charge for the initial consultation, and the firm covers litigation costs unless and until we recover money for you. Free consultations are available 24/7, including in Spanish.
Understanding Jones Act Cases
Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Jones Act Cases
Jones Act recovery is fundamentally different from a state workers’ compensation claim. There are three main categories that injured seamen can pursue, sometimes simultaneously.
- Maintenance and cure. Owed by the employer regardless of fault, from the date of injury until maximum medical improvement. Maintenance covers daily living expenses; cure covers reasonable medical care.
- Jones Act negligence damages. Lost wages and benefits, future earning capacity, past and future medical bills, physical pain, mental anguish, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life.
- Unseaworthiness damages. A separate claim under general maritime law against the vessel owner for any condition of the vessel, equipment, or crew that is not reasonably fit for purpose. No employer fault is required.
Liability under the Jones Act turns on the slightest-cause negligence standard. The employer is responsible if its conduct contributed in any way to the injury. Comparative fault still reduces the recovery, but the bar to proving negligence is lower than in a typical injury case. Maritime employers know this and often respond by attacking seaman status itself.
Important Aspects in Your Jones Act Case
A few features of Jones Act litigation drive case strategy from day one.
- Preserving vessel evidence. Voyage logs, bridge audio, deck videos, maintenance records, and post-incident company reports can disappear quickly. We send preservation letters early.
- Maintenance and cure compliance. Many employers underpay or delay these benefits. Wrongful denial creates additional liability.
- Forum selection. Jones Act cases can be filed in state or federal court, with significant strategic implications.
Jones Act Case Timeline
Maritime cases follow a recognizable pattern, though every case has its own pace.
- Initial investigation and demand for maintenance and cure, typically within the first 30 to 60 days.
- Medical treatment and documentation through maximum medical improvement, often a year or more for catastrophic injuries.
- Pre-suit demand and negotiation with the employer’s marine insurer.
- Lawsuit filing in state district court or federal court, depending on strategy.
- Discovery, depositions, mediation, and trial. Most Jones Act cases settle, but employers offer fair value only when they believe the case will be tried.
What to Bring to Your Jones Act Consultation
A productive first meeting is built on documents. Bring what you have, even if the records feel incomplete.
- The incident report, statement, or any vessel paperwork you signed after the injury.
- Medical records, bills, and a list of treating providers.
- Pay stubs and tax records showing your sea time and wages.
- Photographs of the vessel, the equipment involved, your injuries, and the work area.
- Names of the master, mates, crew members, and shoreside supervisors involved.
The consultation will cover what happened, your likely seaman status, the value of maintenance and cure you should already be receiving, and what to expect if you proceed. We will explain the contingency fee in plain terms.
Texas Legal Resources for Jones Act
Jones Act cases are governed mostly by federal law, with Texas state procedure layered on top when filed in state court. The resources below are useful starting points.
- The Jones Act statute. Federal text of the Jones Act is at 46 U.S.C. § 30104 and the related three-year limitations period at 46 U.S.C. § 30106.
- Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act. Workers who do not qualify as seamen may be covered under the LHWCA, administered by the U.S. Department of Labor.
- Marine accident investigations. The NTSB Office of Marine Safety investigates major marine casualties and publishes reports that often become evidence.
- Texas venue procedure. When a Jones Act case is filed in state court, Chapter 15 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code governs venue selection.
- Local courts. Maritime cases involving Texas City are commonly filed in the Galveston Division of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, or in Galveston County state district court.
These resources are a starting point. Applying them to a specific case is part of what we do during the consultation.
Reach Out to Greenberg Streich Injury Lawyers to Schedule a Consultation
You are not required to handle this alone, and you should not. The attorneys at Greenberg Streich Injury Lawyers offer free, confidential consultations to injured seamen and their families. We work on contingency, so the call to our Texas City Jones Act lawyer costs nothing. Please contact us today to learn more.
