Helping Crewmen Inured In Freezer Hold Accidents
Crewmen working aboard fishing vessels are frequently injured while working in the freezer holds of the vessels. Crewmen assigned to work in the freezer hold can work long hours lifting and stowing cargo. They are frequently injured by falling boxes and bags of product or by getting their hands and fingers smashed by product being sent with uncontrolled speed down chutes and conveyors.
Almost all of these accidents could be prevented if proper safety equipment, tools and procedures were provided to the crewmen. Properly maintained and utilized conveyor belts and rollers can minimize the risk of lifting injuries. However, poorly maintained equipment can lead to serious injury, amputations, and even death. Where the employer and their supervisors place priority on speed of the cargo offload, there is an increased risk of injury to the crewman working in the cargo hold. A vessel is unseaworthy if its cargo is not properly and securely stored.
We’ve Won Millions Of Dollars For Our Clients
Maritime lawyer James Beard and his partners at Trueb Berne & Beard, LLP, have represented many crewmen who have been injured while working in the freezer holds of their vessels. These claims include amputated toes and fingers caused by frost bite injuries; fractured legs and ankles caused by walking on unstably stowed product; brain injuries caused by falling cargo; slip and falls on ice covered walkways; falls caused by broken dunnage; back, neck, arm, and shoulder injuries caused by lifting excessive weights; injuries caused by defective hooks, slings, pallets, and cargo nets; deaths involving conveyor belt accidents; and accidents involving lack of ladders into and out of the cargo hold.
If you have been injured in the cargo freezer hold of a fishing vessel, fill out an accident report describing how your injury occurred. Get the names of the crewmen who witnessed your accident or know about your injury. Never accept blame for an accident that wasn’t your fault. Crewmen who complain of injuries are sometimes wrongfully threatened with termination if they refuse to continue to work after complaining of an injury.
You May Be Entitled To Financial Compensation
Almost all injuries in the freezer hold of fishing vessels are preventable if the employer and vessel owner provide their crewmen with proper training and equipment. Frequent accidents involve fatigue and lifting excessive weights for hours at a time. Crewmen should be frequently rotated out of the cargo hold during cargo offload operations.
Crewmen injured doing offloads of their vessel are entitled to compensation under federal maritime law. In almost all cases, injured crewmen are entitled to maintenance and cure benefits. Each maritime employer owes their crewmen a safe place to work and a seaworthy vessel.
Contact The Pacific’s Premier Maritime Injury Lawyers Today
If you have been injured and have questions about your rights to compensation under federal maritime law, contact attorney Beard and his partners at Trueb Berne & Beard, LLP, for a free initial consultation. Call 425-403-1900 or fill out our online contact form.
Mr. Beard represents injured crewmen on a contingency fee basis. There is no fee charged until the case is completed. If there is no recovery, there is no fee. Don’t guess about your rights to compensation; ask a maritime lawyer with 30 years of experience handling maritime injury claims to explain to you what benefits you may be entitled to under maritime law.