Alberto was employed by Southwest Shipyard, which is based in Channelview, Texas. Grifco Transportation turned over one of its vessels to Southwest Shipyard for repairs. As Alberto was boarding the Grifco vessel, he stepped on some hoses that had been improperly left out.
Alberto mainly injured his right ankle, requiring four surgeries thus far.
Alberto hired
Vujasinovic & Beckcom to handle his longshore injury case against Grifco Transportation. The case is on file in Harris County, Texas.
When a ship owner turns over a ship to a third party for repairs or maintenance, the ship owner owes the third party something called a "turn over duty." This means the ship owner must turn over the ship in a safe and seaworthy condition. If the ship owner turns over the ship in an unsafe condition which contributes to cause an injury to an employee of the third party, the ship owner is liable for the damages.
Grifco Transportation breached its turnover duty by failing to properly store the hoses, instead leaving them strewn about the ship. In fact, the company's former Chief Engineer, Joe Dacus, recently gave sworn testimony under questioning by V&B lawyers that the Grifco Transportation vessel was unsafe and unseaworthy.
The case remains pending.
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