A couple has filed an offshore injuries lawsuit after the husband allegedly was injured while working on rough seas.

Plaintiffs Correy D. and Valerie D. allege Correy was hurt in June 2018 while working as an operator to collect data and perform water tests on oil wells. He says he was being transported to various oil wells off the coast of Louisiana on a crew boat led by Operator/Captain Stephen Dauzat.

The crew boat was owned by S2 Energy Operation LLC. Dauzat was reportedly employed by S2 Energy and/or Wood Group, PSN, Inc. while he was operating the boat.

According to the offshore injuries lawsuit, Correy was instructed by Dauzat to climb upon an oil well while Dauzat tried to position the boat in a position that allowed Correy to climb off the vessel. The oil well also is owned by S2 Energy.

As Correy “climbed up a ladder leading to the well platform, he was crushed between the oil ladder and the crew boat,” alleges the offshore injuries lawsuit.

With that impact, Correy says he incurred severe, significant injuries to his leg and other parts of his body.

Offshore Injuries Lawsuit Alleges Negligence

Correy and his wife accuse S2 Energy Operating, Wood Group and Steven Dauzat of negligence and/or failure to carry out their obligations and duties for the following reasons:

• Failure to properly control, operate and/or maintain the boat;
• Failure to warn Correy of the dangers of the rough seas and of potential dangers of the boat operating in such circumstances;
• Failure to navigate the boat properly;
• Failure to exercise reasonable care in finding and fixing unsafe conditions on the boat;
• Creation and maintenance of a boat that was unseaworthy;
• Failure to provide Correy and/or Dauzat with the appropriations needed that would have allowed Correy to complete his job in a safe manner;
• Failure to properly train employees;
• Hiring careless and/or unskilled employees;
• Breach of legally imposed duties of reasonable care owed to Correy;
• Other acts of negligence and conditions of unseaworthiness.

Correy alleges he incurred leg fractures and a subsequent leg infection that caused him to undergo multiple surgical procedures. Additionally he says he suffered “other bodily injuries that have not yet been determined in light of the severity of his leg injuries.”

Correy is seeking damages for past and future medical expenses, wage losses, physical and mental pain and suffering, loss of household services and other damages. His wife seeks compensation for loss of enjoyment of life, loss of consortium and other injuries and damages.

While many maritime injury lawsuits are filed under the Jones Act, Correy and his wife, who are Mississippi residents, have filed their offshore injuries lawsuit through the state of Louisiana’s court system. The Jones Act extends coverage for workers’ injuries to include employees working at sea.

The Offshore Injuries Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-14094-SM-JCW in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.