Seaman wants $10 million after falling down stairs during power outage

A seaman is suing his employer for $10 million after the vessel he was aboard lost power and he fell down a flight of stairs.

Harold Hebert III filed suit against Rentrop Tugs Inc. on Nov. 9 in federal court in New Orleans.

The accident occurred on Oct. 17 after the tug Miss Juk lost lights and power after a generator ran out of fuel. Hebert states he was injured as he descended from a ladder to investigate the problem.

According to the lawsuit, he slipped on a foreign material on the steps and fell down a flight of stairs. It was not until the next day that he was able to exit the vessel and receive medical assistance.

Hebert argues that the crew had requested additional fuel before the voyage began but the defendant refused. The defendant is accused of creating an unseaworthy condition by having a lack of fuel, resulting in a loss of power.

He is represented by A. Remy Fransen, Jr. and Christopher J. Fransen of Fransen & Hardin in New Orleans and Stanley Jacobs of Jacobs Mauel Kain & Aamodt in New Orleans. A jury trial is requested.

U.S. District Judge Ivan L. R. Lemelle is assigned to the case.

Case No. 2:10-cv-04280