NEW ORLEANS – An Iberia Parish man is suing the owner of a barge where he was allegedly injured on the job.
Larry Welch filed a lawsuit Jan. 13 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against Freeport-McMoran Inc., alleging unsafe working conditions.
According to the complaint, Welch was working as a rigger for Acadian Contractors on Jan. 20, 2015, aboard the barge Highlander, owned by Freeport-McMoran. As he attempted to transfer from the adjacent barge where crew members lived to the Highlander for a safety meeting at 6:05 a.m., the suit says Welch suffered a herniated lumbar disk during the maneuver. Welch claims the defendant failed to provide suitable working conditions, including a safe means of traversing the 4-foot height difference between the vessels.
Welch seeks monetary damages and court costs. He is represented by attorneys Joseph F. Gaar Jr., Jason M. Welborn, Lucas S. Colligan and Jacob H. Hargett of the Gaar Law Firm in Lafayette.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana Case number 2:16-cv-00310