A fisherman is suing his former employers following injuries he sustained in an accident aboard a fishing vessel.
Jose G. Duffoo filed a complaint Sept. 8 in the Galveston Division of the Southern District of Texas against the fishing vessel Pisces LLC and Katie's Seafood LLC, alleging negligence.
The complaint states that on April 5, while working for Katie's Seafood aboard the Bottom Line, a vessel owned by Pisces, Duffoo was removing fish from a net and transferring them to a box when he slipped and fell, sustaining serious bodily injuries.
The complaint states that the vessel lacked non-slip surfaces or non-skid flooring, and that the defendants were negligent in their failure to provide a safe work place and a seaworthy vessel. As a result, Duffoo suffered injuries to his back, elbow, right foot, and other body parts, for which he has incurred medical expenses.
Duffoo has also experienced physical pain and mental anguish, loss of wages and reduction of earning capacity, permanent physical impairment, and has aggravated a pre-existing medical condition as a result of the accident, according to the complaint.
Duffoo seeks damages of $2.5 million, plus court costs and attorney fees. He is represented by Anthony G. Buzbee and Caroline E. Adams of The Buzbee Law Firm in Houston.
Galveston Division of the Southern District of Texas case number 3:15-cv-00239