Welder Injured on Drilling Rig Qualifies as Jones Act Seaman

The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a welder injured while working onboard a drilling rig qualifies as a Jones Act seaman. Case: Sanchez v. Smart Fabricators of Texas LLC, No. 19-20506, 08/14/2020, published. Facts: Gilbert Sanchez worked for Smart Fabricators of Texas as a welder. He suffered injuries when he tripped on a pipe welded to the deck of a jack-up drilling rig owned and operated by Enterprise Offshore Drilling LLC.  Sanchez worked for Smart for 67 days. He spent two days working in Smart’s onshore shop and four days on the ENSCO 75, a vessel not...