Petition of intervention filed in suit over ship explosion

A handful of fresh plaintiffs recently joined a two-year-old lawsuit over a ship explosion by filing a petition of intervention.

As previously reported in September 2009, Oscar Felipe Maldonado Patlan, a Mexican man who says he was seriously burned after an explosion, filed suit against his employer and the owners of a boat on which he was working at the time of the incident.

Court papers show Patlan was working as a welder for defendants M & M Industrial Services and Blue Water Industrial Technologies on Sept. 25, 2008, in international waters off the coast of Louisiana on board the Rowan Juneau, which was owned by defendants Apache Corp. and Rowan Companies.

As part of his job, Patlan was required to perform metal replacement work in a tank when a "fiery explosion" occurred.

Patlan suffered severe burns to his arms, legs, face, neck and head, his suit states.

On Dec. 27, plaintiffs Jaquelin Bello, Dustin Almanza and two minor children filed a petition of intervention on behalf of Joaquin Garcia, who was killed in the explosion.

According to the petition of intervention, Garcia, an M&M employee, was also assigned to work as a welder aboard the Rowan Juneau.

His family is seeking all wrongful death damages allowable under law and is represented by Pearland attorney Brenton Allison of Gilman Allison.

Patlan is represented by Nicholas Wiseman of the Law Office of Domingo Garcia in Bellaire and by Walter J. Leger Jr. and Walter J. Leger III of Leger and Shaw in New Orleans.

Judge Milton Shuffield, 136th District Court, is presiding over the case.

Case No. D184-971