Maritime Injury Law Claims: An Important Overview
Hardworking commercial fishermen, fish processors and other maritime workers are not typically covered by workers’ compensation laws that apply to employees who suffer injuries or fatalities on land. Instead, injured seamen often find relief through the Jones Act and other federal maritime laws in state or federal courts.
Trueb Berne & Beard, LLP, in Anchorage, represents clients throughout the state of Alaska, as well as in Washington and Oregon. Our clients are hardworking maritime workers, including vessel captains, seamen, fishermen, crewmembers and deckhands. The injuries they’ve sustained while working at sea are compensable — and our attorneys have over 80 years of combined maritime injury law experience obtaining the compensation these workers need and deserve.
Legal Protections For Injured Maritime Workers
The Jones Act allows injured seamen to bring injury claims in state or federal courts against negligent fishing companies and other employers. The negligent party may be the company at large or a specific captain or crew member. Under the Jones Act, the injured worker may recover maintenance and cure benefits, lost wage replacement and other benefits.
The doctrine of unseaworthiness is an aspect of federal maritime law that holds owners of seafaring vessels responsible for their safety features and operations. Contact us if you were injured, or if your next of kin was killed, while working on a commercial fishing boat, tug, barge, trawler or ferry. An investigation into that vessel’s seaworthiness is essential. Through our attorneys’ eight decades combined experience, we have acquired a thorough understanding of seaworthiness.
Federal maritime law may also apply in your case if you can show that a crane or another type of machinery on your sea vessel was unsafe or defective. Perhaps you or other crew members did not receive proper training on the use of hazardous fish processing machinery. The owner of the vessel may be responsible to compensate you.
Schedule A Free Consultation
Regardless of which laws apply in your case, our attorneys are ready to pursue all benefits and compensation you are eligible for. We are shrewd litigators as well as compassionate advocates for our clients and their families. We have recovered many millions of dollars for clients over the decades.
An initial meeting with one of our lawyers is free. Learn which laws may apply in your case and how to get an injury or wrongful death claim started. Call us at 907-802-4559 or email us for a prompt response.