Joe Terry obtained a $2,500,000 settlement for a young Jones Act seaman who injured his lower back on a barge while breaking tow. The deckhand was asked to do certain tasks alone by the Captain despite the fact he had been trained that these tasks were two-man jobs. Though he received medical treatment from the company doctors for almost a year, the pain persisted. Tired of not getting better, he then hired Mr. Terry who immediately filed suit. The client was then able to have surgery which helped alleviate his back pain. The defendants claimed there was no liability and that our client caused his own injuries. Through discovery and key depositions, Mr. Terry was able to prove that the reason the Captain ordered our client to perform these tasks alone was because the Captain rushed the job due to vessel traffic in the area. Had the Captain just waited until the vessel traffic passed, or had the task been performed with two deckhands, the injury never would have happened. The case was prepared for trial and settled on the eve of trial. Unable to work as a deckhand on barges any longer, this settlement has secured our young client’s financial future.
$2,500,000