Injured working for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock?
If you were hurt on a Great Lakes Dredge & Dock dredge, you are a Jones Act seaman with the full protection of maritime law — and we have taken a Great Lakes case to a jury and won. The firm tried Hamilton v. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock to a $1.22 million verdict, with the jury placing no fault on the injured worker.
A freshly painted step with no non-skid on a cutter suction dredge
Hurt on a Great Lakes Dredge & Dock vessel? Am I a Jones Act seaman?
Almost certainly yes. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock operates dredges and marine-construction vessels, and their crews 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
- Great Lakes Dredge & Dock dredge 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.
A painted step, a fall, and a verdict with no fault on the worker.
The firm represented a leverman aboard a Great Lakes cutter suction dredge working the Mississippi River near Memphis. On a rainy morning he started down the vessel's bow stairway and slipped on the bottom step — a piece of raised diamond-plate steel whose non-skid pattern had been filled in by decades of paint and then freshly painted again. He fell roughly ten feet to the deck.
A dredge is a vessel in the eyes of maritime law, so its crew are Jones Act seamen owed a safe place to work. The case came down to marine custom and practice — what makes a stairway safe, and who is responsible when it isn't. The jury returned a $1.22 million verdict and assigned no fault to the worker. The rulings are a matter of public record. See the firm's full case study and more maritime case work.
Hurt on a dredge or in marine construction?
Dredge crews — levermen, deckhands, engineers, and welders — are Jones Act seamen, even though the work can look like construction. If you were told you are only a workers' comp case, that is often wrong. See dredge injuries for how these cases work.
Dredge and marine-construction crews.
We represent injured Great Lakes crew members whatever their role on the vessel:
Deck crew
Deckhands, tankermen, and mates hurt handling lines, wires, ratchets, and cargo.
Wheelhouse & engine room
Captains, pilots, and engineers hurt by equipment, falls, or unsafe methods.
Falls, lines, and man-overboard
The signature inland injuries — parted lines, falls between barges, and going overboard.
Families in a wrongful-death case
When an inland incident is fatal, the family may have Jones Act and general-maritime claims.
What an injured seaman can recover.
If you are a seaman — and an inland crew member almost always is — you are not limited to a workers' comp check. You have a Jones Act negligence claim against your employer, an unseaworthiness claim against the vessel for gear or a crew not reasonably fit for the work, and maintenance and cure from the day you are hurt, regardless of fault. The Jones Act's pure comparative negligence means your own fault never bars recovery.
If you were just hurt, start with what to do in the first 72 hours; if you have been told you are only a workers' comp case, read Jones Act vs. workers' comp.
Frequently asked questions about great lakes dredge & dock dredge injury claims
Am I a Jones Act seaman if I work on a Great Lakes Dredge & Dock vessel?
Usually, yes. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock operates dredges and marine-construction vessels, and their crews typically qualify as Jones Act seamen.
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 Great Lakes Dredge & Dock vessel?
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 Great Lakes Dredge & Dock vessel?
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.
Talk to a firm that has tried — and won — against Great Lakes.
Doyle Dennis Avery LLP tried Hamilton v. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock to a $1.22 million Jones Act verdict with no fault assigned to the worker. If you were hurt on a Great Lakes dredge, a case review costs nothing and there is no obligation.
This page is general information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. The firm represented the plaintiff in Hamilton v. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock, a $1.22 million Jones Act verdict in which the jury assigned no fault to the worker; those rulings are a matter of public record. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome; every case is different and depends on its own facts. Whether the Jones Act, maintenance and cure, or any particular claim is available in your situation depends on your specific circumstances. For advice about your case, speak with a qualified maritime attorney.
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