An Alaska crab fisherman aboard the F/ V ICY MIST has been medivaced for medical treatment after a crab pot fell on him Sunday. The crew was reportedly loading crab pot gear 150 miles southeast of Sand Point, Alaska, when the accident happened. A Coast Guard helicopter hoisted the crewman from the vessel and transported him to Cold Bay. The extent of the crewman’s injuries is unknown.
Working as an Alaska crab fisherman remains one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Fishermen typically work with crab pots that weigh 700 to 800 pounds, sometimes working in seas 20 feet high or more. If proper safety precautions are not followed in landing the pots, they can swing out of control injuring crewmen. Once aboard the vessel, the crab pots must be properly secured and tied down. Fishing vessel owners owe a duty to have their crew properly trained in safety procedures and provide their crewmen with a safe place to work. Because of the dangers associated with this type of work, crab boats must be kept seaworthy at all times to prevent injuries to the crew.
Beard Stacey & Jacobsen PLLC is one of the most experienced law firms in the country in handling crewmen injuries aboard crab boats. Crewmen injured while working in the Bering Sea are covered by the Jones Act. The general maritime law also provides that the employer pay all of a seaman’s medical bills, and provide a daily living expense while the seaman is recovering from his injuries. Fishermen who are injured as a result of negligence may be entitled to compensation for pain and suffering, past and future lost wages, loss of earning capacity, and losses associated with their enjoyment of life.