Seaman files Jones Act case after crane fall on vessel in Saipan

A crewmember of a U.S. ship anchored off of the Pacific island of Saipan is suing the federal government for injuries suffered after allegedly falling from a crane.

Randall J. Brown, plaintiff, filed his Jones Act negligence case in U.S. District Court for the Northern Marianas Islands. The vessel is the USNS Major Stephen W. Pless, a prepositioned ship that was anchored off the Saigon lagoon.

Brown has been employed on the Pless for the past 18 months and continues to work there, his attorneys say.

The incident in question occurred on Sept. 26, 2011. Brown was ordered to work on a crane which required him to use the crane’s ladder. According to his lawyers, the ladder did not have a safety cage around it and it had sharp edged rungs.

As he was climbing down the ladder, his boot allegedly got caught on the lowest rung and he fell a short distance onto the deck below.

Rain that day made the deck around the ladder wet and there was no non-skid surface on it. Moreover, part of the deck area had recently been painted and it was slippery and unsafe, said his attorneys.

When he fell off the ladder, his feet slipped on the deck. He suffered severe injuries to the medial collateral ligament and meniscus of his right knee along with swelling and various contusions to his body. He continues to need medical treatment and physical therapy.

The defendants are accused of maintaining an unseaworthy vessel.

Brown seeks unspecified compensation, court costs and interest.

The Pless is operated under Military Sealift Command time-charter and is operated by International Shipholding Corp. and its subsidiaries, Waterman Steamship Corp. and LMS Shipmanagement Inc.

Source: Saipan Tribune