NEW ORLEANS — A marine crew member is suing a research vessel operator, alleging that insufficient measures were taken to prevent injuries he suffered while addressing an engine-room leak.
Thomas T. Tunstall filed a complaint on Sept. 7 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against M & T Oceanographic Research LLC, alleging that the research vessel operator breached its duty to provide a seaworthy vessel.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that on June 9, he sustained severe, painful and disabling injuries when he was forced to assume an unsafe body position when addressing a longstanding leak in the vessel’s engine room. The plaintiff holds M & T Oceanographic Research LLC responsible because the defendant allegedly allowed and permitted him to work in an unreasonably safe condition.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks judgment against the defendant for compensatory damages, plus costs and interest as allowed by law and any equitable relief to which he may be entitled. He is represented by Paul M. Sterbcow and Ian F. Taylor of Lewis, Kullman, Sterbcow & Abramson in New Orleans.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana Case number 2:16-cv-14513