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| Admiralty/Maritime |
| Sailor Injured in "Snapback" of Mooring Lines |
| Settlement: $485,000.00 Attorney fees: $194,000 Litigation expenses: $25,000 |
| Case Type: Jones Act, Negligence, Admiralty/Maritime - Unseaworthiness |
| Case: Brian Gibson v. Sabine Transportation Company, No. D-165165 |
| Venue: Jefferson County District Court, 136th, TX |
| Judge: Milton G. Shuffield |
| Date: 12-18-2002 |
| PLAINTIFF(S) |
Attorney:
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Expert:
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| DEFENDANT(S) |
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| Facts: Plaintiff Brian Gibson, 46, sued defendant Sabine Transportation Company under the Jones Act for negligence and unseaworthiness. Gibson maintained that he was injured while in the course and scope of his employment with Sabine aboard the MV Trinity. Ordinary seaman Gibson was assisting able-bodied seaman Erwin Laserna in securing the mooring lines of the Trinity to the dock in Agadir, Morocco. At one point in the mooring operation, the lines began to part and snapback in series. Gibson yelled for Laserna to take cover while he completed securing his line. Gibson was unsuccessful in shielding himself as a line wrapped around his legs. According to plaintiff's counsel, Brian A. Beckcom, the accident report completed by the captain of the Trinity on the day of the accident established Sabine's liability. Beckcom quoted Captain Flynn's report as stating: "The lines aboard the Trinity have no strength in them whatsoever. I have lost count on how many times lines and wires have parted." Beckcom reports that emails from Captain Flynn to Sabine's headquarters obtained during discovery indicated that there had been problems with the mooring lines for a two week period prior to Gibson's accident. |
Injury: Gibson sustained torn muscles, nerves, and ligaments of the lower right leg and a deep laceration of the left thigh. Gibson was immediately transported to a hospital in Morocco, where he was initially treated, and then transported to the United States where he underwent approximately two years of medical treatment, including stays at the emergency room in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and treatments at Mid-Jefferson Hospital in the Beaumont, Texas, area. Gibson incurred approximately $80,000 in medical expenses.
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Verdict Information Attorneys for the parties negotiated a settlement. |
Awarded: $485,000 settlement; $194,000 attorney fee; $25,000 expenses
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