A fishing injury is all too common for commercial fishermen.
Whether you are working on the crab boats of the Bearing Sea, the tuna fleet of the Western Pacific or in one of the local fisheries of California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska or Hawaii, commercial fishing provides high paying job opportunities that are hard match ashore.
But there is a price to pay because commercial fishing is still one of the most dangerous occupations in this country.
Your Legal Rights: The Jones Act
If you are a regular member of a commercial fishing crew, your rights will be determined under the Jones Act.
If you are not a regular member of the crew, your rights will probably be determined under another federal law, called the Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act.
Commercial Fishing Injury Claims Challenges
One of the circumstances that makes commercial fishing cases challenging is that many of the employers are small companies that own one or two boats.
There are special defenses that are available under maritime law, such as the Limitation Liability Act, that can make it difficult to recover from these small companies, even when the accident was their fault.
Additionally, most of big companies use separate corporations to take advantage of these same defenses. Unless you hire a lawyer who knows maritime law and how to defeat these special defenses, you could be left seriously injured with no recovery at all.
Another challenge in commercial fishing cases is that while you are injured and are no longer on the boat, the owner and the remaining crew sometimes create a story to cover up the cause of the accident, or even claim that it was your fault.
Contact a Commercial Fishing Accident Attorney
At my office we have been handling injury claims for commercial fishermen for over 30 years.
We know how to determine what law that applies to your case, and we know how to investigate and prove the claim whether it is under the Jones Act or the Longshore Act.
If you’ve suffered a fishing injury, we are available for a no cost, no obligation consultation when ever you need us.
To arrange a consultation, please call us today toll-free at 1-888-440-5829, or complete our free and confidential case review form located on this page and we will follow up with you directly.
