Factory Trawlers

Fish processors and deckhands injured while working aboard factory trawlers and fish processors in the Bering Sea and Pacific Ocean are governed by federal maritime law and the Jones Act. The maritime lawyers at Stacey & Jacobsen, PLLC have represented hundreds of injury claims for fish processors and deckhands, who have been injured while working aboard factory trawlers and fish processors in Alaska.

If you have been injured working as a deckhand or fish processor, please contact us today for a free consultation and case evaluation. Our attorneys can help you obtain fair and full compensation for your injuries, lost wages, and medical expenses. Call our office at 866-974-9633 to get started today.

Before you hire a maritime lawyer to represent you, compare their experience handling maritime accident claims to Stacey & Jacobsen, PLLC. Our firm has handled multiple wrongful death claims relating to the sinking of the factory trawlers Aleutian Enterprise and the Arctic Rose. We handled multiple injury claims arising from the All Alaskan fire, and handled wrongful death and personal injury claims resulting from the Galaxy fire and sinking.

We have recovered millions of dollars in compensation for crewmen injured working on fish processing and factory trawler vessels. Our attorneys have the experience, reputation, and resources necessary to take on the big fishing companies and their insurance companies.

We have handled injury claims for factory trawler deckhands involving trawling operations. These include shooting of the net, haul backs, dumping of the cod end, net reels, gillson hooks, lifting straps, shifting cod ends, offloading accidents, and winch and crane accidents.

Deckhands aboard factory trawlers are constantly at risk for injuries due to unsafe practices, procedures, or defective equipment. Working aboard a vessel in heavy weather, hauling and setting nets and cod ends that may weigh up to hundreds of tons, can result in serious and permanent injuries. Because of the high physical requirements of working as a deckhand on a factory trawler, crewmen who sustain serious injuries may be unable to return to work as a deckhand. The attorneys of Stacey & Jacobsen, PLLC have obtained fair and full compensation for injured deckhands.

As many as 10,000 to 12,000 fish processors work aboard fishing boats in the Bering Sea each year. "Hard work" does not adequately describe the conditions under which fish processors work. Work schedules can be 18 hours a day for weeks at a time. Job training for fish processors is very limited, and workers are expected to look and learn from fellow crewmen. Worker fatigue leads to many unnecessary accidents. Work is monotonous and conditions are harsh. Space is confined, and the machinery can cause disabling injuries in the blink of an eye. Emphasis on speed of the production line can lead to many serious injuries.

At Stacey & Jacobsen, PLLC, our lawyers have handled injury claims aboard factory trawlers and fish processors involving a wide range of injuries. These include brain injuries, seizures, amputations, burns, eye injuries, neck and back injuries, shoulder, arm, hand, hip, leg, knee, ankle and foot injuries, emotional and psychological injuries, frostbite, and toxic exposure.

The maritime lawyers at Stacey & Jacobsen, PLLC are familiar with most operations and procedures aboard factory trawlers. Our prior experience involving crewmen injured aboard factory trawlers and fish processors allows us to quickly understand your claim and begin to work getting you compensation.

You should choose a lawyer to represent you that already has an extensive working knowledge about factory trawler operations involving the deck or fish processing plant. We have successfully handled hundreds of claims for injured fish processors and deckhands, including claims involving:

We have handled injury claims for injured crewmen against most of the factory trawlers and fish processing vessels operating in the Bering Sea. Some of the companies against which we have handled claims for crewmen include:

Under current maritime law, there need be only slight negligence to recover damages under the Jones Act. A customary practice aboard a fishing vessel is not necessarily a safe practice. If your injury was caused, in whole or in part, by the negligence of your employer or your fellow crewmen, you are entitled to compensatory damages. From our office in Seattle, we represent crewmen with injuries, both large and small. We will apply our experience in handling seaman injury claims to cost effectively litigate your claim, and get you full and complete compensation for your past and future injuries.

Examples of some of the results we have obtained for factory trawler and fish processor crewmen include:

• $ 2,400,000 Fish processor arm injury while cleaning surimi auger
• $ 2,500,000 Fish processor hand injury - improper guarding of fish header
• $ 1,700,000 Deckhand - brain Injury - defective walkway
• $ 1,000,000 Fish processor - reactive depression and anxiety following minor head injury while offloading
• $ 1,000,000 Fish processor - frostbite injuries to toes - failure to provide proper shipboard medical treatment
• $ 1,000,000 Fish processor - back injuries - defective ship's rail
• $ 750,000 Fish processor - predeath terror and fright
• $ 600,000 Deckhand - hand injury - improper guarding of winch
• $ 500,000 Neck Injury - unsafe work station
• $ 500,000 Deckhand - back injury - Slip and fall on trawl deck
• $ 200,000 Cook - sexual assault
• $ 780,000 Fish Processor - sexual assault and harassment
• $ 500,000 Knee Injury - engine room slip and fall
• $ 500,000 Fish Processor - hip injury - improperly designed step
• $ 375,000 Fish Processor - back injury during offload - aggravation of preexisting injuries

Contact our firm to discuss the potential for your case by calling 866-974-9633.