GALVESTON – An alleged on the job incident earlier this year in which a Louisiana seaman was knocked to the ground is the subject of a federal lawsuit.
Nicholas Verdin filed the suit on Dec. 12 in the Galveston Division of the Southern District of Texas, blaming the subject event on Fieldwood Energy, LLC; Candy Fleet, LLC; Fleet Corp.; and Elevating Boats, LLC.
Court papers show that Verdin was assigned to the vessel Candy Machine, which is owned and operating by the Candy Fleet defendants, last Oct. 5.
According to the original petition, the plaintiff was performing deckhand duties in the service of the Machine when a crane operator employed by EBI “severely” injured him while trying to transfer equipment from the complainant’s vessel to the Fieldwood platform at Eugene Island
120.
“Specifically, the crane operator imprudently and/or negligently lifted a grocery box and moved it too fast, ignoring hand signals from the Candy Machine, causing the box to swing and hit the plaintiff, knocking him to the deck of his vessel,” the suit says.
Consequently, Verdin seeks unspecified monetary damages and a jury trial.
He is represented by Marcus R. Spagnoletti of the law firm Spagnoletti & Co. in Houston.
Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas Case No. 3:18-CV-0424