Gordon
NEW ORLEANS - A seaman has filed a lawsuit claiming that he received serious personal injuries when a captain's chair fell onto his knees.
Travis Dixon filed suit against Dynamic Industries Inc. on April 19 in federal court in New Orleans.
Dixon states that he was injured on Aug. 11, 2011 while working for the defendant on the cleanup of an oil spill into the Yellowstone River.
According to the lawsuit, Dixon was sitting directly behind the captain's chair when the motor of the vessel failed. The vessel began to drift on an unintended course and, as a result, a deckhand jumped into the river and attempted to pull the boat to shore using a rope. In the process, the boat rammed into an object making it come to a sudden stop. Dixon states that the captain's chair fell on his knees and he received serious personal injury.
The defendant is accused of negligence for failing to provide a safe work environment, failing to provide a suitable engine, failing to provide a captain's chair that was properly bolted down, and for failing to have policies addressing what must be done when moving a vessel to land without an engine.
The plaintiff is asking the court for an award of damages for medical expenses, physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, physical impairment, physical disfigurement, lost earnings, loss of found, loss of household services, maintenance and cure, interest, and court costs.
Dixon is represented by Steve Gordon of Gordon, Elias & Seely L.L.P. in Houston. A jury trial is requested.
U.S. District Judge Helen G. Berrigan is assigned to the case.
Case No. 2:12-cv-01002