GALVESTON - A Louisiana man claims he was the victim of an apparent slip-and-fall on a ship to which he was assigned, recent court papers say.
Erick Williams blames the Oct. 15, 2012, incident in question on Adriatic Marine LLC in a lawsuit filed Oct. 15 in the Galveston Division of the Southern District of Texas.
Williams, an employee of Offshore Services of Acadiana, was working as a cook aboard the Mediterranean, a vessel belonging to the defendant, at the time of the event.
According to the suit, the Mediterranean embarked on the waters off Sabine Pass when Williams "slipped and fell on the deck of the vessel."
The original petition states that the deck was wet and did not have a non-skid surface, accusing the respondent of "commencing a voyage into rough seas and high winds."
It additionally faults the company for:
- Failing to properly inspect, service, maintain and/or repair the vessel decking;
- Failing to have in place sufficient and appropriate company policies to ensure safe operation and maintenance of the Mediterranean;
- Failing to comply with certain safety standards, statutes, and regulations designed to prevent incidents of this sort;
- Failing to cure the cause of the water collecting on the deck of the vessel; and
- Failing to provide an adequate non-skid surface, knowing that the deck of the vessel would be exposed to water from rough seas and winds it was sailing into.
Consequently, Williams seeks unspecified monetary damages.
He is represented by attorney Marc Evan Kutner of Spagnoletti & Co. in Houston.
Case No. 3:13-CV-369