Maritime Injury And Wrongful Death Claims For Fires And Explosions At Sea

Fishing boats, tugs, and ships should never explode or catch fire while at sea if the vessel has been properly constructed, properly maintained, and proper safety procedures followed. When a fire or explosion occurs aboard a fishing vessel, tug boat or ship, the crew must be trained and prepared to act; their lives depend upon it. The number one key to surviving a fire or explosion at sea is taking proper safety procedures to ensure that it can never happen.

Maritime injury lawyer James Beard of Trueb Berne & Beard, LLP, has been litigating maritime and wrongful death claims for over 30 years. He has recovered millions of dollars in compensation for his clients located throughout the country.

Financial Compensation For Burn Injuries

Serious burn injuries to crewmen are devastating in nature. Burn treatments are well known to be one of the most painful experiences an injured maritime worker and seaman can suffer. Burns leave a crewman and their families with permanent physical and psychological injuries that will last a lifetime.

A crewman, fish processor or commercial fisherman who suffers burns as a result of a fire or explosion aboard his ship is entitled to claim damages under the federal maritime law. Damages include all doctor and hospital bills, nursing services, medicines, rehabilitation services, emergency transportation costs, plastic surgeries, skin grafts, psychological counseling and other related reasonable medical care. Where a seaman is injured through negligence or unseaworthiness, they are entitled to damages for pain and suffering, disfigurement, mental anguish, lost past and future wages, lost earning capacity, past and future medical expenses and all other damages related to their burn injuries.

Beware Of Outdated Tactics

In many cases, the insurance company for the employer and the vessel owner raise an outdated law called the Petition For Limitation of Liability Act to attempt to avoid paying a crewman’s claim for compensation for his burn injuries. By filing a Petition for Limitation of Liability, the vessel owner and the employer are claiming they owe their burn victim crewman no compensation. The insurance company and their lawyers will claim that the owners and employer had no knowledge of the condition that caused the fire or explosion or that the fire or explosion was caused by the crewman’s operational negligence at sea over which they had no control.

Don’t trust the insurance company. While you are recovering and battling to survive serious burn injuries, the insurance company is working against you, gathering evidence to try to avoid paying you compensation for your injuries.

Millions Recovered In Injury Claims For Jones Act Seamen

An experienced maritime injury lawyer knows how to overcome the insurance companies’ defenses. Beard has been battling and winning cases involving Petitions for Limitations of Liability for over 30 years, including the fire and explosion aboard the F/V Galaxy, and the disappearance at sea of the fishing vessels Vestfjord and Pacesetter.

It is highly recommended that in a serious burn case the injured crewman obtains legal counsel who will hire highly qualified fire and explosion origin and cause experts to investigate the cause of the vessel fire before the evidence is lost. If you have suffered a burn injury, you need a sophisticated maritime lawyer and team of fire experts to be prepared to defeat a Petition for Limitation of Liability.

Contact Our Experienced Maritime Injury Lawyers

Beard and his partners at Trueb Berne & Beard, LLP, handle fire and explosion cases aboard ships and fishing vessels on a contingency fee basis. This allows the injured crewman to immediately hire a lawyer. There are no fees owed to us, unless we recover damages in your case.

You can discuss your case at no charge by calling 425-403-1900, or send us a message online to schedule a free consultation. Put a lawyer and team of fire and explosion experts on your side to get you the compensation you deserve and are entitled to under federal maritime law and the Jones Act.