Fishermen, Longliner And Shrimp Boat Injuries

Commercial fishing is arguably one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States. The long hours, often dangerous conditions and high physical demands make commercial fishermen extremely vulnerable to serious workplace injuries.

In fact, in 2019, commercial fishermen had a fatality rate over 40 times higher than the average U.S. worker. And for every tragic loss of life, there are many more nonfatal injuries.

If you suffered an injury while working on a commercial fishing boat, our Florida maritime lawyers at Munch and Munch, P.A., have years of experience with these types of cases to quickly get you your benefits entitled by law.

For example, the boat operator or owner may have to pay you a daily stipend until you are medically cleared to return to work, as well as pay for your immediate medical care. Moreover, if the boat owner or operator was negligent in any way in causing your injury, or if a condition aboard the vessel caused it to be unfit for its intended use, you may also have a claim for additional compensation.

Maintenance And Cure vs. Unseaworthiness Claims

When commercial fishermen suffer injuries on the job, two separate claims may come into play: maintenance and cure and unseaworthiness. While these claims can overlap, they cover different aspects of a case.

Maintenance and cure

This claim ensures that an injured seaman has the basic support needed to recover, no matter how the injury happened. It includes:

• A daily living allowance (maintenance) to cover food and housing costs
• Payment for medical treatment (cure), including hospital care, surgery and prescriptions

Workers deserve benefits regardless of fault, as long as the injury or illness occurred during the service of the vessel. For example, if a deckhand develops pneumonia during a long trip, the employer must pay for medical care and a daily stipend, even though the illness was not caused by unsafe equipment.

Unseaworthiness

This claim focuses on the safety of the vessel itself. A shipowner must provide a seaworthy vessel that is reasonably fit for its intended use. A vessel may be “unseaworthy” if:

• Its equipment is defective or poorly maintained
• Its crew is not properly trained or staffed
• Its working conditions are unsafe or dangerous

For example, if a winch with a broken safety guard crushes a fisherman’s hand, the vessel is considered unseaworthy. This means the fisherman can seek damages beyond basic maintenance and cure.

Maintenance and cure provides immediate financial and medical support, while an unseaworthiness claim allows injured fishermen to pursue additional compensation when unsafe conditions caused their injury. In many cases, both claims may apply together and create a stronger path to recovery.

We Handle Various Types Of Fisherman, Longliner And Shrimp Boat Accidents

Our Florida maritime injury lawyers at Munch and Munch, P.A., have handled countless commercial fishing injury claims. Claims that we handle for injuries occurring on a commercial fishing vessel include:

• Improper operation of equipment or machinery by other crewmembers
• Limbs caught in cables, machinery, rigging and netting
• Falls through open hatches
• Slip-and-falls on slippery decks, gangways and ladders
• Crane failures
• Trip-and-falls on a cluttered deck
• Improperly maintained or defective equipment
• Broken safety guards
• Winch failures
• Cable and line bites
• Hands and fingers severed or crushed by improperly secured hatches and portholes
• Excessive pulling and lifting
• Overloaded pots and nets
• Working required in excessively rough conditions

When injuries happen, the impact on daily living is often severe and can keep fishermen out of work for months or even permanently. At Munch and Munch, P.A., we understand the risks you face on longliners, shrimp boats and other commercial fishing vessels. We are committed to helping injured crew members and their families pursue the compensation they need to recover and move forward.

Call An Experienced Maritime Injury Attorney Today

If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury while working on a commercial fishing boat, it is critical that you hire an experienced admiralty and maritime attorney. A maritime injury claim has many different legal rules and timelines from a land-based injury or workers’ compensation claim.

Call 888-976-3759 or email us and let us help you protect your unique rights and get you the compensation you deserve.