Being a merchant seaman in the United States can be a very lucrative career. It is also very risky, it is very demanding and you may have long hours that you have to be away from your family. Some workers are gone for weeks or months at a time. It is not an easy profession.
With that in mind, these workers do tend to make fairly good money. The top 10% can bring it over $200,000 every year. That’s a terrific annual salary that means making a million dollars every five years. Even the average is over $71,000 per year, which is more than many workers make in the U.S. The demands of this job mean that it is very rewarding and can be a good way to create a career for yourself.
But what if you get injured on the job?
This also means that there is a lot at stake if you get injured on the job. Not only do you have a job with a lot of risks, but you stand to lose quite a bit.
For instance, say that you are 35 years old when you get injured on a ship and you end up being disabled. You were making $100,000 a year, and now you’re never going to be able to work in that career again. You planned to work until you were 65, which meant you had 30 more years to go. Even without factoring in things like inflation or pay increases, you’re looking at a potential loss of around $3 million. If you did expect your pay to go up, or if you had bonuses and other benefits, it could be much more than that.
What options do you have?
As you can see, it’s important to consider your salary along with your medical bills and other costs when you get injured. If you are disabled or if you’ve lost a loved one, be sure you know exactly what steps to take to get what you deserve.