Saipem, Piling Inc. sued for $1M after fishing boat collides with cable mooring ship

A Galveston County man is suing over claims he and a minor were injured when a fishing boat collided with a cable mooring a large ship.

Steven Smith, individually and as next friend of an unnamed minor, filed a lawsuit May 6 in the Galveston County District Court against Saipem America Inc., Saipem Norway and Piling Inc., citing gross negligence.

According to the complaint, Saipem improperly moored their ship, M/V Castorone, alongside the Galveston Ship Channel with the help of Piling Inc. on March 30, by stringing a cable across a navigable waterway with no warnings or markings.

The complaint states Smith and the minor were passengers in a recreational fishing boat that collided with the cable, causing injury to the plaintiffs' backs, necks, shoulders, arms and legs.

Smith is seeking more than $1 million in damages.

He is being represented in the case by attorneys W. Mark Lanier, Judson Waltman, Charles F. Herd Jr. and Lawrence P. Wilson of The Lanier Law Firm P.C.

Galveston County District Court Case No. 14-CV-0503

 

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in the Galveston County District Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.