Longliner Injuries

For decades, our maritime injury lawyers have successfully represented hard-working commercial fishermen working on longline fishing vessels based in Seattle and Alaska. Like other commercial fishermen operating in the Bering Sea and the waters off the coast of Alaska, Washington, and Oregon, the fishermen we represent working on longliners are exposed to heavy sea conditions, slippery decks, long hours, and many other types of unsafe working conditions. When they are injured, they need an experienced maritime injury law firm to help them navigate the justice system and obtain the financial resources necessary to begin putting their lives back together after a devastating injury. We can help.

Over 65 Years Experience as Maritime Injury Lawyers

With more than 65 years of experience in maritime injury law, our lawyers know longliners and the unsafe conditions that cause injuries at sea. Because of our broad experience in other cases, it is likely that we have handled a case similar to yours in the past and can use our experience to benefit your case.

We represent commercial fishermen injured on longliners while working for Alaska Leader Fisheries, LLC, Aleutian Spray Fisheries, Inc., Fishermen’s Finest, Inc., Beauty Bay of Washington, LLC, Tatoosh Seafood, LLC, Clippery Seafoods, Ltd., Blue North Fisheries, Cape Romanzof Fisheries, Deep Sea Fisheries, Inc., and many other fishing companies.

What Benefits Are Available to Commercial Fishermen Injured on Longliners?

Under maritime law, a commercial fisherman who is injured or becomes ill while working for a longliner is entitled to maintenance, cure, and unearned wages. Maintenance is a daily stipend to pay for room and board expenses while the fisherman recovers from the injury or illness. In the Seattle area, maintenance rates vary depending on how much the fisherman incurs in expenses related to room and board. Medical cure is the medical expenses related to curative medical treatment for the injury or condition. Unearned wages are the normal and expected wages and bonuses that the commercial fisherman would have earned through the end of the contract without the injury or illness.

Under the Jones Act, a commercial fisherman injured on a longliner may recover additional compensation if it is shown that the injury resulted from negligence of the employer or an unsafe condition on the vessel. A commercial fisherman may also establish entitlement to additional compensation under general maritime law if the injury was caused by unseaworthiness from defective or broken equipment, unreasonably slippery decks, some other equipment malfunction, or when equipment is not fit for its intended purpose.

When employer negligence is shown, the injured commercial fisherman can collected damages for lost wages for the entire period of time the fisherman is out of work, damages for future lost wages if they are unable to return to commercial fishing, expenses related to retraining into another occupation, future medical expenses for treatment of the condition, damages for pain, disability, and loss of enjoyment of life, and other out-of-pocket expenses. The types of damages that a fisherman injured on a longliner will be able to recover depend on the specific facts and circumstances of the injury and should be analyzed by an experienced maritime injury lawyer.

We Offer Free Case Evaluations

Most commercial fishermen who are injured on a longliner do not have the financial resources to pay a lawyer by the hour to prosecute a case. That’s why we accept cases on contingent fee, which means that we don’t get paid for our work unless we make a financial recovery for you. We also offer a free initial case evaluation to discuss the specifics of your case and help you determine if you would like to pursue a claim against the longline fishing company. We will answer your questions without obligation and let you decide how to proceed.