Tag Archives: skippers can be on the hook
Protection and Indemnity Insurance: Without insurance, skippers can be on the hook for medical bills
When a fisherman falls sick or injured during the season, who pays the medical bills – the crewman or the skipper? That was the topic covered by Dillingham attorney Jürgen Jensen at a recent Business of Fish session at the Bristol Bay Campus. Boat captains can sometimes be on the hook for “maintenance and cure,” which Jensen explains is similar to workers’ compensation. “Injuries are pretty obvious: somebody’s gonna get hurt. If you lose a finger, obviously that’s an injury that could happen on the boat,” said Jensen. “But this can also come up with illnesses. If somebody falls ill with cancer and they’re on your boat fishing, the court will say that you owe maintenance and cure. You will owe for medical bills while they’re getting cured of cancer, and you’ll owe the daily maintenance rate, which generally ranges between $35 and $55 dollars a day.” There are some exceptions; Read the rest here 10:37
