1

SETTLEMENT FOR ACCIDENTS TO AMERICAN SEAMEN

TABLE 1.— Average amounis paid to injured seamen and estimated amounts
payable under adaptation of longshoremen’s act, and average days of total disability,
 by method of settlement

All cases studied t

Cases involving disability

Beyond duration of
seaman'’s articles

Method of settling cases

Potal

Average

amount
actually
paid

Probable

recovry
 un
der
compensa-


act

Avrage

days
of total

disabil-



Total

Average

amount
actually
(paid

Probable

recov
Ty Under

com-Jensa-


act

Total!

Average

amount
actually
| paid

Probable

recov-TY
 under

compensa-


act

Cases involving no legal fees

Settled by personal agree-IOBI
 s  i rasiwiimm
No claim filed._______.__
Total and average.

874) $269.81 $351. 20) 49.4| 2 $272.99] $358. 7] 712 $305.27) $410.13
25 6.02 396.94 418) 25] 6.02 396.94 21 6.85 461.96
899] 262.47] 352.56) ov" ssi 205.41] 350.76] 733] 296.72 411.62

Cages involving legal fees

Jettled by agreement by
attorney __.._.._......_.
Action compromised. ____
Settled by jury or judge..
Total and average
Grand total and
average.-._...... i, 155) 3 523. 69] 468. 61| 60. of 1,166] 3 533. 68l 480. 2

70] 2 $565. 51 $564. 62
48/21, 390. 051, 027. 48
28124. 745. 0011. 753. 56
246/21, 537.30 978.41
ars) — 554.04

! Including 29 in which a settlement was made for injury which caused no disability.
? Gross amount; includes seaman’s net recovery and all fees charged by his attorney. See Tables 2 and
3, pages 7 and 8, for details of fees charged in some cases.
¥ Includes “gross amounts” of settlements in 206 cases involving legal fees.

Cases involving no legal fees.—In the cases involving no legal fees
the amounts shown as actually paid are the net amounts received
by the seamen. The 874 cases settled by personal agreement include
al cases settled by agreement between the seamen and a claim
adjuster for the shipping company or the underwriter, a comparatively
small number referred by mutual agreement to the United States
Compensation Commission for adjudication, and a few cases in which
the seaman retained an attorney but later personally made a settlement
 with the claim adjuster without the knowledge of the attorney.
The actual average net settlement in these 874 cases was $269.81.
Under the adaptation of the longshoremen’s law as made in this
study the average estimated settlement would have been $351.29.
or $81.48 more than the seamen actually received.
The 25 cases in which no claim was filed are those in which the
seamen were disabled and would have been entitled to compensation
 under the adaptation of the longshoremen’s law, or to wages
and maintenance under their maritime rights had they presented
claims. The wages paid to seaman when put ashore constituted
the only settlement in any of these cases. In three cases there were
a0 wages due, as the accident occurred just at the end of the voyage.
In one other case no part of the wages due under this right was paid