BATON ROUGE – A former crew member aboard the Bayou Blue is suing the owner for allegedly providing the wrong harness for his job on the boat, causing him to severely injure himself.
Melvin Bruce Jr. filed a lawsuit on March 11 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana against Baywater Drilling LLC, citing negligence.
According to the complaint, Bruce was a seaman aboard the defendant’s vessel, the Bayou Blue, working as a derrickman and crew member. On Aug. 19, 2015, the plaintiff claims to have sustained serious personal injuries while using a harness which was reportedly not suitable for his work.
Prior to the accident, Bruce allegedly complained to the defendant about the unfit harness and requested one that was more appropriate for his work as a derrickman. The plaintiff claims that the accident was thusly a direct result of the defendant’s negligence and failure to provide a safe work equipment.
Bruce seeks damages in the sum of $1,500,000, together with costs, interest and counsel fees. He is represented by Robert L. Beck Jr. of the Law Offices of Robert L. Beck Jr. LLC in Alexandria.
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana Case number 3:16-cv-00168-JWD-RLB