Hurt on a crew boat? Crew and passengers both have rights.
Crew boats run personnel and supplies to platforms, rigs, and inland sites, often fast and in open water. The captains, mates, and deckhands who run them are Jones Act seamen — and the workers they carry can be hurt in the transfer.
Hurt on a crew boat? Am I a Jones Act seaman?
Almost certainly yes. A crew boat is a vessel, so its crew are typically Jones Act seamen. As a Jones Act seaman you can sue your employer for negligence, bring an unseaworthiness claim against the vessel, and receive maintenance and cure, which is far more than workers' compensation. What you can recover depends on your job and what failed.
Key takeaways
- Crew boat crews are typically Jones Act seamen.
- A seaman can sue the employer for negligence, far more than workers' comp allows.
- Maintenance and cure is owed regardless of fault while you recover.
- Unseaworthiness is a separate claim against the vessel owner for unfit equipment or crew.
- Do not give a recorded statement or sign anything before talking to a lawyer.
Moving people over water.
Crew and supply boats carry workers and cargo to offshore and inland worksites. The crew is small and the schedule is demanding, and the most dangerous moment is the transfer of people between the boat and a structure or another vessel.
Transfers, seas, and speed.
Personnel transfers by swing rope, basket, or gangway bring falls and crushing injuries when the boat moves in a seaway. Add slamming in heavy seas, cargo handling on a pitching deck, high-speed running, and man-overboard, and the risks are real for crew and passengers alike.
Are you a seaman?
The crew of a crew boat are Jones Act seamen under the Chandris substantial-connection test. A worker who is a passenger — hurt during a transfer or a rough ride — is not a crew member of that boat, but may have a maritime negligence claim against the boat’s owner and operator and others. Both are real cases with different rules.
Sound like your situation? Calling us is confidential, costs nothing, and starts nothing you don’t choose to start.
Text (713) 489-2297Two paths, both worth pursuing.
A crew member has the Jones Act, unseaworthiness, and maintenance and cure. An injured passenger has a general maritime negligence claim against those responsible for an unsafe transfer or operation. The firm fixes which fits and pursues it.
What the other side will argue — and how it’s met.
The transfer and the sea state are the battleground.
The transfer method, the captain’s decision to attempt it in the sea state, and the equipment used are the company’s responsibility, not a split-second worker decision.
A worn swing rope, a defective transfer basket, or an unsafe gangway makes the operation negligent or the vessel unseaworthy.
Company reports are often incomplete; witnesses and the conditions carry the truth.
Surveillance usually finds nothing, while the treating physicians and the record carry the truth.
The boat log and the conditions tell the story.
The vessel log, the transfer method and equipment, the recorded sea state and weather, the casualty report and the Coast Guard report (Form CG‑2692), and witness accounts show what happened. The firm reconstructs the transfer with a marine expert, and the featherweight causation standard carries causation for a crew member.
A transfer injury is almost never the worker’s split-second mistake — it is the decision to make the transfer in those conditions with that gear.
What to protect while it still exists.
The conditions and the gear are perishable evidence.
The vessel log, the transfer equipment, and the recorded sea state are the case — demand they be preserved at once.
Make sure a written incident report is created and a Coast Guard report (Form CG‑2692) is filed for a serious injury.
See a doctor promptly and describe exactly how the injury happened to every provider.
You are not required to give a recorded statement; get advice before signing.
Where this connects.
Tugboats · Towboats · Supply Vessels · The Jones Act · Unseaworthiness · Injury by Company
Frequently asked questions about crew boat injury claims
Am I a Jones Act seaman if I work on a crew boat?
Usually, yes for crew. A crew boat is a vessel, so its crew are typically Jones Act seamen; injured passengers being transported may also have general maritime claims.
What is the difference between the Jones Act and workers' compensation?
A large one. Workers' compensation is a limited no-fault benefit, while the Jones Act lets a seaman sue the employer for negligence and recover full damages, plus maintenance and cure and an unseaworthiness claim. A seaman's recovery is usually far greater.
What is maintenance and cure?
Maintenance and cure is a no-fault maritime benefit owed to an injured seaman: maintenance covers daily living expenses and cure covers medical care, until you reach maximum medical improvement, regardless of who was at fault.
Do I have to prove my employer was at fault?
Not entirely. Under the Jones Act you need only show the employer's negligence played some part, however slight, which is a very worker-friendly standard. An unseaworthiness claim requires no negligence at all, only that the vessel or its equipment was not reasonably fit. Maintenance and cure is owed to a seaman regardless of fault.
What can I recover after an injury on a crew boat?
Recovery is measured by category rather than a fixed amount: past and future medical care, lost wages and lost earning capacity, pain and suffering, and maintenance and cure for a seaman. The total depends on the facts, so no honest lawyer can promise a number up front.
What should you do after an injury on a crew boat?
Get medical care and make sure the injury is reported in writing. Preserve evidence early, including incident reports, photos, equipment, and witness names, and do not give a recorded statement or sign anything before talking to a lawyer.
What happens when you text us
Tell us what happened — in your own words, as much or as little as you want.
We review it free. You learn whether maritime law protects you and what your options actually are.
You decide. Nothing is filed, and no one contacts your employer, unless you choose to move forward.
Your conversation with us is confidential. There is no fee unless we win. Hablamos español.
Reach out even if…
- You think the accident was partly your fault — under the Jones Act, your own fault reduces a recovery but does not bar it.
- You already gave a statement or signed something — a release signed under pressure can be challenged.
- You still work for the company — talking to a lawyer is confidential, and retaliation for pursuing a claim can itself be actionable.
- You’re not sure your case is “big enough” — that’s exactly what a free review is for.
Catastrophic offshore injury? The investigation can’t wait.
Equipment gets repaired, records get revised, and witnesses rotate off the rig. Doyle Dennis Avery LLP moves quickly to preserve the evidence and identify every responsible party. A case review costs nothing, there is no obligation, and your employer will not know you contacted us.
This page is general information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. The law that applies to an offshore injury — the Jones Act, the LHWCA and \u00a7 905(b), OCSLA, the general maritime law, product-liability law, or another body of law — and the parties responsible depend on the specific facts. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome. Doyle Dennis Avery LLP · Houston, Texas. This is attorney advertising.
