The facts of each case are unique and identical injuries do not necessarily produce an identical result. One element of damages that varies widely is future lost wages/earning capacity. If you are disabled from an injury and cannot continue your career, it is likely that you will earn substantially less each year on land, if you are able to work at all. If a seaman will earn less in the future due to their injury, you should be compensated by the at fault party for your remaining expected work life. If a seamen would earn $50,000 less each year due to your injuries, a 55-year-old would likely be compensated for only a few years, while a 25-year-old’s damages could be well over a million dollars for a lifetime. Damages for pain and suffering, on the other hand still depend on the unique facts of each case. You also are entitled to recover past and future medical bills.
If you have been injured in a maritime accident you deserve an offshore injury attorney who will get to know you personally and fight for every element of damages that you are owed. An injured seaman should not settle for, or expect, the same result that a friend or neighbor obtained from a lawsuit, and judges and juries do not have any list itemizing how much each part of the body is “worth”.