NEW ORLEANS — A widow from St. John the Baptist Parish is suing a Bahamian bulk carrier, alleging negligence and insufficient measures taken to prevent injuries.
Nayana Ambarish Parekh, individually and as personal representative of Ambarish Ramnikrai Parekh, deceased, filed a complaint on Sept. 15 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against M/V African Raptor, alleging that the Bahamian bulk carrier failed to ensure a safe means of ingress.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that on July 17, while Ambarish Ramnikrai Parekh was attempting to board the vessel M/V African Raptor to perform his duties, he fell into the Mississippi River from a ramp gangway. He was seen struggling to swim while waiting for rescue, but the river current eventually carried him away and pulled him underwater, the suit says, and on July 19, his body was found by a passing tugboat. Plaintiff Nayana Ambarish Parekh has suffered loss of consortium, society and financial support, the suit alleges. The plaintiff holds M/V African Raptor responsible because the defendant allegedly failed to have adequate crew members on proper stations and failed to take appropriate measures to effect a water rescue.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks judgment against the defendant in an amount reasonable under the circumstances, plus all costs and interest, and for any other relief as the law may require. She is represented by Paul M. Sterbcow and Beth E. Abramson of Lewis, Kullman, Sterbcow & Abramson in New Orleans.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana Case number 2:16-cv-14729