Alaska maritime workers who have been injured on the job have a seemingly endless list of concerns. From lost time on the job to medical care to wondering if they will be financially covered for all that was lost, it is important to gather all the necessary information about the accident.
One factor that might have played a prominent role is if the injury came about in whole or in part because of the vessel itself was unseaworthy. There are specific rules in place for seaworthiness and they must be adhered to. As part of a legal claim to recover sufficient compensation, this could be a key part.
What makes a vessel unseaworthy?
The first step is knowing how unseaworthiness is defined. The owner is responsible for ensuring that it is up to standard. The vessel’s equipment and parts are required to be in good condition to be used for their defined purpose. Anything short of that could constitute unseaworthiness.
The ship can also be categorized in this way if the workers are unqualified to do the work they are hired to do. It is unseaworthy if there is insufficient safety equipment on the boat. This does not mean that any accident will automatically render the vessel unseaworthy. Nor does there need to be the best possible crew or the highest-end equipment. It does need to be good enough for its purpose.
The injured should have legal help
When the vessel owner has not made sure it is seaworthy, this will be an integral part of a legal claim after a worker was injured. In some cases, the owner was negligent. In others, it was a mistake. Regardless of how and why it happened, people who are confronted by the reality of maritime injuries must be aware of the importance of an unseaworthy designation.
Seamen are supposed to be protected when they are on their boat. Any misstep mentioned above or other problems that arise is justification to claim unseaworthiness. For advice with pursuing a claim and determining if the vessel was unseaworthy, it is important to have help and representation from legal professionals who specialize in maritime claims.