Employee sues after being hit by bag of dirty laundry

An engine repairman is suing the owners of a vessel he worked aboard, after he was allegedly struck in the head by a bag of dirty linens.

Arguing he should have been warned of the hazard, Dale Warmack filed suit against Ambassadors International, Ambassadors International Cruise Group (USA) and Ambassadors Cruise Group July 9 in federal court in New Orleans.

Warmack states he is suffering severe and permanent injuries to his neck and back, after being suddenly struck in the head by a 60-pound bag of dirty linens that were thrown from the upper deck by another employee during an incident that occurred in July 2007.

Ambassadors is accused of negligence for failing to exercise ordinary care to have its gangway, on the vessel M/V Mississippi Queen, free from hazards such as hurled loads of dirty linens thrown from the upper decks onto the gangway and failing to warn of the hidden hazards and dangers associated with the gangway being subjected to 60-pound bags of dirty linens hurled heedlessly from upper decks.

Warmack states that the defendants breached their duty to turn over a safe vessel, failed to provide a safe egress, failed to remedy a dangerous appurtenance of its ship, failed to properly supervise the activities of the workers and failed to discover and terminate unsafe work practices aboard the vessel.

He is seeking damages for pain and suffering, mental anguish, permanent disability, medical expenses, loss of enjoyment of life, earning capacity and benefits, interest and court costs.

Warmack is represented by G. Brice Jones, Ross F. LaGarde, and Paul D. Hesse of Jones LeGarde in Slidell. A jury trial is requested.

U.S. District Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon is assigned to the case.

Case No. 2:10cv01939