Jones Act Maritime Lawyer : Houston Jones Act & Maritime Injury Lawyer & Attorney : Arnold & Itkin Law Firm : Offshore Injury, Maritime Law : Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida

Attorneys Kurt Arnold, Jason Itkin, and Mike Pierce resolved a Jones Act Seaman injury case for $14 million just two days before going to trial. Arnold & Itkin LLP lawyers represented the seaman after he suffered a head injury on the Hercules 15 inland barge. The Hercules 15 was located in Lake Washington, Louisiana at the time of the incident. The seaman's injury occurred when Hercules employees tack welded a three foot pipe to the derrick and then forgot to remove it before starting drilling operations. The heavy pipe was jarred loose and hit the plaintiff in the head.

The case was filed in Galveston County Court in March 2008. The case was set for trial February 2, 2009. Hercules settled the entire case for $14 million on the eve of trial.

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The National Waterways Foundation (NWF) has released a new study comparing selected societal, environmental, and the safety impacts of utilizing inland river barge transportation to highway and rail transportation. Titled "A Modal Comparison of Freight Transportation Effects on the General Public," the study was conducted by the Texas Transportation Institute's Center for Port and Waterways at Texas A&M University and was cost-shared with the U.S. Maritime Administration (MarAd).

Among its findings, the study determines that, after adjusting for the differences in quantity of cargo moved by each mode, for each member of the public injured in a barge accident, 125.2 are injured in rail accidents and 2171.5 are injured in truck accidents. For fatalities, the rates are 155 trucking fatalities and 22.7 rail fatalities for every barge related fatality.

An executive summary of the study can be found here on the National Waterways Foundation website.

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In New Orleans, Louisiana, the Times-Picayune reported that an accident claimed the life of a deckhand aboard a barge that was headed for the Intracoastal Waterway.  26-year-old Christopher Oncale of Prarieville, Louisiana was killed when he was struck in the head by a fitting the barge had been tied to.  The crew tied the barge to a fitting of the Algiers Lock to keep the barge from moving in the canal.  The fitting broke and flew threw the air striking the deckhand in the head.

The accident underscores the hazardous nature of maritime work where even routine operations can hold substantial risk for crew.  The negligent acts of other crew members or the failure of employers to provide safe working conditions can lead to accidents with catastrophic consequences. The Jones Act and other maritime laws protect workers from these risks and provide remedies for workers who are injured as a result of them.  If you or anyone you know has been seriously injured in a maritime accident, or if you have questions about the Jones Act and other maritime laws, contact the Houston Jones Act & maritime lawyers at Arnold & Itkin LLP.

 

 

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Lafayette, Louisiana's The Daily Advertiser reported that a tugboat carrying two barges struck and underwater gas pipeline causing a massive explosion that killed three seamen, severely burned another, and left three others missing.  The accident and explosion occurred in West Cote Blanche Bay near Cypremort Point, Louisiana.

The Daily Advertiser:

The tugboat, which belonged to Central Boat Rentals Inc. of Berwick and two barges, which belonged to Athena Construction of Morgan City, were carrying a tugboat driver, a crane operator and six crew hands, none of whom have been named.

Upon contact with the gas line, each of the vessels immediately were engulfed by flames. The tugboat and barge carrying the lumber detached and continued to burn as they drifted away. Crews on scene extinguished them first.

The other barge, roughly 1,000 or more yards away, remained over the gas line and burned for several hours before it was contained. Officials believe those missing may have remained on this barge in a hideaway below deck. It is unclear whether any of them could have survived the intense and prolonged heat.

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