A 40-year-old Plaintiff oil rig worker was injured after falling off a ladder while crossing from a rig to a barge. The Plaintiff was walking across a ladder that was laid to bridge the gap between a rig and a barge when the ladder slipped from under him. The Plaintiff fell into water from a height of five feet and sued the rig owner for not providing a gangway for crossing. The Plaintiff claimed to suffer injuries to his neck and back and underwent fusion surgery at L5-S1. The Plaintiff sought damages for past and future medical, lost earnings and pain and suffering. The defense argued that using a ladder was proper because of the steep incline between the rig and the barge. Further, the defense argued that the Plaintiff’s employer was responsible for not adequately securing the ladder, that the Plaintiff was contributorily negligent for failing to exercise stop work authority and reporting the condition to the rig’s supervisor, that the medical care was “lawyer-driven”, and that the Plaintiff required no significant future care.
Verdict: $2,795,620
Case name: Jude Lewis v. Axxis Drilling Inc. and Century Exploration Houston Inc.
Court: Galveston County Court at Law No. 2, Texas