Factory Trawler Injury Lawyers
Have you been injured while working on a factory trawler?
Trawler work is dangerous and demanding. Factory trawlers are extraordinarily perilous places to work. The machinery is often crammed into the vessel’s every nook and cranny and it is usually run at maximum capacity. In many cases, guards, covers, and other safety equipment have been removed to speed up operations. Fatigue is also a cause of many accidents; it’s common for processors aboard factory trawlers to work 16 to 18 hours a day, seven days a week.
A factory stern trawler is a large stern trawler which has additional onboard processing facilities and can stay at sea for days or weeks at a time. A stern trawler tows a fishing trawl net and hauls the catch up a stern ramp. Also known as “factory ships” or “fish processing vessels”, these vessels are large ocean-going ships with extensive on-board facilities for processing and freezing caught fish.
Our factory trawler clients include:
- Deckhands
- Engineers
- Wheelhouse Crew
- Processors
- Combies
- Cooks
- Line Workers
- Factory Workers
- Factory Foremen
- Quality Controllers
- Sorters
- Flippers
- Roe Cleaners
- Freezer Crews
- Sorters
Common Factory Trawler Injuries
Common causes of trawler injuries on the job include:
- Failure to maintain equipment
- Broken equipment
- Lack of safety procedures
- Employers’ dangerous operations
- Mistakes caused by negligence or inattention
- Unseaworthiness of the vessel
Maritime Law and Compensation
While factory trawler workers may be owed workers’ compensation benefits after an accident, they may also be able to file a lawsuit for their injury costs if they are covered under maritime laws. Some maritime laws provide wage replacement and medical payments, while others allow workers to act against vessel owners if unsafe conditions caused the accident. Factory trawler workers could be owed compensation under the four main categories listed on the right:
The Jones Act
The Jones Act is one of the most comprehensive sources of maritime employee injury benefits, as it allows workers to collect “maintenance and cure”, as well as the ability to file negligence and unseaworthiness claims against shipowners. Factory trawler workers may be covered under the Jones Act if they were injured while on a vessel with which they had a standing work relationship. This may apply to a trawler worker who has been assigned to a vessel for a certain duration—such as a port-to-port journey—or only performs activities for one vessel in navigation.
Workers’ Compensation
Factory trawler workers who are employed by a contracting company may be covered under the employer’s workers’ compensation coverage. This insurance is particularly useful to contracted seaman who suffer injuries during voyages or activities on land, which may be excepted under the Jones Act.
Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act (LHWCA)
Freelance or contracted factory trawler workers who do not qualify for Jones Act benefits may be covered under the LHWCA, which provides wage replacement benefits based on the seaman’s average weekly salary.
Maritime Law
Any person who suffers an injury at sea has certain rights under general maritime law – including the right to file lawsuits for products liability and wrongful death.
What should I do if I have been injured at sea?
First and foremost – seek medical attention. If you have been injured due to negligence, then get an experienced lawyer working on your injury case right away.
Injury At Sea maintains a staff of marine accident investigators with ties to maritime communities throughout the Pacific Northwest. We will start investigating your case right away. Moreover, we will fight to obtain the most you are allowed under maintenance and cure, which provides a stipend for you to survive while you are recuperating from your injury.
The attorneys of Injury At Sea can explain your best options if you were hurt working as a factory trawler worker. We can make sure you receive what you are entitled to under the law, including past and future medical bills, past and future wages, pain and suffering damages, physical disfigurement, and other maintenance and cure payments.
Contact our maritime attorneys today and tell us your story. Our firm is located in Seattle and has more than 80 years of experience representing clients located in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and California. Call us today for a no-obligation assessment of your case.
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