Commercial Fisherman Injuries

Doing their work on commercial boats, fishermen usually place their lives at severe risk.

Working in dangerous conditions, the physical demands of fishing can create an environment ideal for catastrophic injuries.

The challenging work environment and the long hours, in addition, create a setting where commercial fisherman injuries and fatalities can occur due to an accident, or when the boat sinks.

Fisherman and boaters by the law are protected if they become involved in a commercial vessel accident.

Operators and owners of the vessel have an obligation legally to make sure the boat is prepared for sea, the boat is equipped with all the necessary gear, and the crew is trained properly to do their jobs safely and effectively.

The work of a fisherman on a myriad of commercial vessels entail the following: commercial fishing boat; clam and oyster dredgers; trawler; tuna and sword boats; long line vessel; shrimper; lobster and crab boats; processing vessel; gillnetter; and snapper and grouper vessels.

On the open waters because of the dangerous conditions, unfortunately, commercial fisherman injuries can occur.

The victim, when injured, has a legal right from the operator and owner of the vessel to seek compensation for a number of types of incidents and accidents which entail the following:

Negligent crew supervision; dangerous and negligent piloting; broken safety guards and rails; wench or crane neglect accident; a fall and slip as a result of slippery decks, ladders, and gangways; falling and tripping on cluttered decks; injuries to the limb when caught up in rigging, leading, machinery, and cables; crushed or severed extremities as a result of secured improperly portals and hatches; equipment and machinery maintained inadequately; equipment that’s defective or malfunctioning; weather conditions unsafe; vessel maintenance that’s not adequate; line handling; vessel not prepared for sea; overload in nets and pots; falling through an open hatch or from a high setting; captains or crew members trained improperly; working through challenging conditions; and repetitive motion injury due to overload of nets and traps.

An individual who sustained commercial fisherman injuries may be entitled to recover damages; the accident typically depends on the incident circumstances, and severity of sustained injuries.

If the victim has proof that negligence was the result of an incident or accident, he or 
she is likely to attain appropriate recompense, such as: lost capacity to work; due to missed work, lost wages; present, previous and subsequent medical expenses; cure and maintenance; rehabilitation, physical therapy, and proper surgeries for healing; permanent and temporary disability; mental suffering, pain and anxiety; and funds for reduced ability to work as commercial fisherman.

In the circumstance that a fisherman loses his or her life due to an intentional act or negligence of an operator, crew member, vessel owner, or another third party, surviving members of a family can pursue compensation which entails loss of services, loss of support, and all expenses associated with the burial and funeral.

Recompense that is additional over and above workers compensation maritime version may be entitled to you if negligence or the vessel being unprepared for sea can be proven to result in injury or fatality directly.

Contact us for a free consultation or call Anzalone Law Firm PLLC, at: 603.548.3797.