Jones Act lawyer Matthew Shaffer, a managing partner of SMSH, recently filed a lawsuit on behalf of a worker injured on a jack up rig that was hit by another vessel on the Texas-Louisiana border.
The 44-year-old Maryland man was working as a camp boss for Aramark, which was serving as caterer for Spartan Offshore Drilling’s jack up rig while it was docked in Sabine Pass.
Mr. Shaffer’s client job was overseeing catering for the rig’s crew aboard the Spartan 303 jack up rig on April 28, 2014, when the rig was struck by another vessel. The client, along with other workers, evacuated the rig after the accident.
During the evacuation, the client lost his balance and fell on a gangway because of inadequate ingress and egress to the vessel. He suffered injuries to his back and extremities as a result of the fall.
The lawsuit was filed against his employer, Aramark U.S. Offshore Services LLC, as well as against the rig’s owner and operator Spartan Offshore Drilling. The owner and operator of the other vessel, the Grey Fox, was also named in the lawsuit, which was filed under the Jones Act and general maritime laws.
According to the lawsuit, the companies names failed to provide a safe evacuation route and failed to properly train workers in safety and emergency practices. It seeks damages for lost wages, lost earning capacity, medical expenses, maintenance and cure, pain and suffering, and punitive damages for the failure of his employer to provide maintenance and cure.
“This case illustrates that all maritime workers, even those that are in port, are at risk for injury,” Mr. Shaffer said. “The entities responsible for this occurrence owe my clients a debt that is now due and payable.”
Maritime law firm Maintenance and Cure helps clients from across the U.S. and around the world with maritime accident claims. If you were injured while working on a ship, in a port, or on an offshore rig, contact us today for help.
