NEW ORLEANS — A rigger crew member is suing Gray Insurance Co., ENI U.S. Operating Co. Inc., Seacor Marine, Longnecker Properties Inc. and the M/V Clay Ella, et al. citing alleged insufficient measures were not taken to prevent injuries he sustained while showering.
Timothy O’Bryant filed a complaint on July 25 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against the defendants, alleging that they failed to provide a seaworthy vessel.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that on Nov. 14, 2015, when returning to shore, the captain of M/V Clay Ella turned the vessel while the plaintiff was in the shower, causing the boat to sidesea. The plaintiff lost his balance and fell, which caused him to sustain severe left shoulder and lower back injuries, the suit states. The plaintiff holds Gray Insurance Co., ENI U.S. Operating Co. Inc., Seacor Marine, Longnecker Properties Inc. and the M/V Clay Ella, et al. responsible because the defendants allegedly failed to have the necessary equipment or personnel to perform the required work aboard the vessel, failed to provide adequate handholds and mats in the shower, and failed to provide maintenance and cure.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks judgment in his favor for actual damages, maintenance and cure, punitive damages, attorney’s fees, legal interest, all costs and all just and equitable relief. He is represented by Louis Koerner Jr. of Koerner Law Firm in New Orleans.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana case number 2:16-cv-13203