Injured seaman files legal action against Cal Dive

A seaman has filed an injury lawsuit against employer Cal Dive International Inc.

Plaintiff Louis Palanek claims the company failed to prevent him from taking unnecessary risks when his supervisor instructed him to pull up a mass of tangled hoses out of the water and onto the vessel Cal Dive II.

The case file states that the weight and strain of lifting the nest of hoses resulted in injuries to his back. The incident reportedly occurred during operations off the Texas coast on Oct. 16. 

Palanek filed the case Jan. 17 in Jefferson County District Court. He alleges Cal Dive negligently failed to train and supervise its workers and failed to provide a safe working environment.

He seeks compensation for pain, disfigurement, impairment, mental anguish, and past and future medical expenses.

The story was reported in the Southeast Texas Record.

Cal Dive has been named as a defendant in personal injury cases many times over the years. Read about it here.