On Friday, February 1, a Louisiana federal court judge awarded $3.3 million to a maritime construction worker who was subject to a head and spinal injuries due to a boat captain's alleged negligence during equipment transfers between boats and barges.
The case involved Jones Act and Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) claims filed by a 22-year-old construction worker, who got injured while transferring a portable generator from a crew boat to a barge. The lawsuit claimed the boat captain did not adequately secure the boat to the barge before beginning to transfer, which caused the vessels to drift apart from one another and caused the victim to fall off the boat. As the generator hit him, he suffered a head injury requiring 28 staples, and according to his doctors, his spinal injuries were so severe that surgery might be needed in the future.
The federal judge found the boat captain at fault for keeping the vessels close together using the boat engine's power rather than using a safer method to secure the boat with a mooring line. The victim was awarded $875,000 for past and future medical expenses and his wife was awarded $250,000 for loss of consortium.
