Ferry Worker Accidents

Passenger and Car Ferry Injuries

At Beard Stacey Trueb & Jacobsen, LLP, our attorneys are very experienced in roll/on roll/off passenger and car ferry cases and have a proven track record in this area. We are schooled in all aspects of navigation and seamanship. We have successfully represented scores of ferry workers. If you have been injured on a ferry, why not hire lawyers who have handled scores of ferry cases and actually worked at sea so they know what you’re talking about? Contact an experienced maritime attorney at Beard Stacey Trueb & Jacobsen, LLP today for a free initial consultation.

If you have been injured working on a ferry you have rights under the federal statutory law, the Jones Act, and federal maritime common law, to recover compensation for your injuries. The maritime law for compensation applies to Captains, Mates, Deckhands, Engineers, Able Seamen, Ordinary Seamen, Watchmen, Oilers, Wipers, QMESs, and the Galley Crew. This compensation includes payment for pain and suffering, temporary disability, permanent disability, medical bills, lost wages, and lost wage earning capacity.

Proven Results

The roll/on roll/off ferries now in service are regulated under a complex arrangement of State, Federal and International Laws. Some ferries are required to be compliant with International Maritime Organizations Safety of Life at Sea Convention while others are not.

All ferries must comply with United States Coast Guard safety regulations. For example, ferries are required to be equipped with fast rescue boats, appropriate firefighting gear, life rafts, and slides to get the passengers and crew off. Ferry crews are required to conduct abandon ship drills and firefighting drills on a regular schedule.

Ferries must also comply with United States Coast Guard manning requirements. The ship must carry a minimum number of seamen in designated ratings or it is illegal to sail. The crew has to be certified under the Basic Safety Training regulations, and the crew must carry merchant mariners’ documents for the appropriate rating. The ship is must be operated under the new security regulations to prevent terrorism.

When a crew member is injured often times the employer has violated one of these regulations. The employer’s regulatory violation can be used by the seaman to establish the employer’s legal responsibility for the injury. Therefore, a lawyer representing a crew member who works on a ferry should have an extensive knowledge of these safety and manning regulations.

The following are examples of some of the ferry cases our attorneys have successfully handled.

• Life Boat Drill---Broken Arm/Surgery
• Mooring Line Parted---Fractured Legs/Surgery
• Engine Room Bilge Accident---Shoulder Injury/Surgery
• Engine Room Bilge Accident---Knee Injury/Surgery
• Ice on Deck---Neck Injury/Surgery
• Poorly Maintained Non-skid on Ladder, Fall---Back Injury/Surgery
• Life Boat Drill---Back Injury
• Fire Fighting Drill---Back Injury
• Deck Maintenance---Knee Injury/Surgery
• Heavy Galley Pots Causing Fall---Knee Injury/Surgery
• Mooring Line Parted---Broken Arm/Surgery
• Mooring Line Dropped by Dock Attendant---Shoulder Injury/Surgery
• Excessive Engine Room Noise---Hearing Loss & Tinnitus
• Fall From One Deck To Another---Fractured Feet & Back Injury
• Engine Room Chemical Exposure---Contact Demetrius
• Toxic Paint Exposure---Lung Injury
• Tying Vessel Up In High Winds---Head Injury
• Snow On Dock Slip & Fall---Knee Injury/Surgery
• Cluttered Car Deck, Fall---Knee Injury/Surgery
• Hit By Car On Loading Dock---Knee Injury
• Transporting Heavy Garbage Bags---Shoulder Injury/Surgery
• Moving Heavy Stores---Neck Injury/Surgery

For knowledgeable and experienced legal representation, you can rely on the maritime law attorneys of Beard Stacey Trueb & Jacobsen in Seattle and Anchorage.

Contact a Maritime Law Attorney at Beard Stacey Trueb & Jacobsen.