Compensation limit hits victims of Lamma ferry disaster
Compensation payouts for the injured and families of those who died in the Lamma ferry disaster likely to be far less than for accidents on land
People injured in the National Day ferry disaster off Lamma Island, and the families of the 39 who died, are likely to get far less compensation than they would have done for a bus or train crash.
The government has avoided raising the marine compensation limits for accidents involving ferries on domestic routes, even though legislators approved a bill to do so seven years ago, legal and insurance sources say.
Compensation limits for maritime claims are set by international convention and are strictly capped, while damages for accidents on land can be settled by court action.
That means the families of passengers killed or or those injured on Hong Kong's ferries are likely to receive a fraction of the compensation they would get if the loss occurred in a bus or train crash or other transport accident on land, lawyers said.
Joe Lau Cho-keung, a partner in the law firm Mike So, Joseph Lau & Co, said: "The public might think that riding on a ferry is the same as riding on a bus as far as compensation is concerned. But they need to be educated that it's not.
"If you are hurt in a bus collision you will receive higher compensation than if you are injured in a marine collision, where the levels of damages are limited by international conventions."