2 workers killed and 3 critically injured on Diamond Offshore vessels

A 30-year-old Mississippi man was recently awarded $4.9 million by a jury for injuries he suffered while working on a vessel owned by defendant Diamond Drilling Offshore Inc.

According to court documents, JP Upton was a seaman aboard the Ocean Yorktown which was operating in Brazil. While assisting in the installation of a compensator on Mar. 28, 2010, the defendant directed him to get into a riding belt which suspended him in the air. The riding belt and air hoist “malfunctioned and sent plaintiff 20 feet through the air.” Upon impact he was knocked unconscious for 25 minutes. He suffered injuries to his left arm, spine, ribs and other parts of his body.

Upton’s attorneys successfully argued that the defendant’s negligence caused the equipment malfunction because of a lack of proper employee training.

Less than one month later, two workers were killed and two others were seriously injured in an accident on another Diamond Drilling Offshore vessel in Brazil, the Ocean Ambassador. This accident was also ruled to be caused by a lack of proper employee training.

Diamond Drilling Offshore is a Texas-based company.

Source: The Ghost Galleon.com