NEW ORLEANS – A deckhand has filed a lawsuit against his employers, claiming negligence led to him passing out due to heat exhaustion and injuring himself while working aboard a vessel.
Plaintiff Justin Pattin filed the lawsuit in federal court against JanTran Inc., Bruce Oakley Inc. and several unnamed individuals.
According to court documents, defendant Bruce Oakley Inc. is the alleged owner/parent company of JanTran Inc. Pattin states that on July 15, 2021, he was working as a deckhand aboard the vessel Lucy Janoush, when he was rendered unconscious due to heat exhaustion and fell, resulting in injuries to his shoulder and back.
Pattin claims the accident was the result of negligence on the part of the defendants, either due to a failure to train the staff or a failure to adequately supply the vessel. In his complaint, Pattin also suggests the unseaworthiness of the vessel contributed to the accident.
Pattin claims that as a result of the defendants' negligence, he has suffered severe and permanent personal injuries, including surgery to repair his rotator cuff and other treatment that has been so far denied, causing him significant pain and hindering his ability to work.
In his complaint, Pattin is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, including past and future lost wages, medical expenses, fringe benefits, pain and suffering, mental anguish, disability, loss of physical function and more. Additionally, he claims he is entitled to maintenance benefits from JanTran Inc. and/or Bruce Oakley Inc. at a rate of $200 per day until he reaches maximum medical cure and demands punitive and compensatory damages, including attorney's fees recoverable under the law, due to the defendants' failure to pay for his medical treatment.
The plaintiff is represented in this case by attorney Raynetra L. Gustavis of Chhabra & Gibbs, P.A. in Jackson, Mississippi.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana case number 2:23-cv-05921-JCZ-DPC