Case Results · Jones Act · Offshore Rig Injury

$950,000 Recovery — Offshore Jack-Up Rig Mechanical Equipment Failure

On September 30, 2000, a roughneck was tripping pipe on an offshore jack-up drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico when the braking unit on the pipe-lift elevator suffered a sudden, complete mechanical breakdown. Thirty days prior, an independent contractor had overhauled the braking assembly, yet failed to secure the retaining pins holding the unit together. The resulting mechanical collapse dropped heavy machinery directly onto the worker, causing severe disabling injuries. The litigation resolved for $950,000.

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Recovery$950,000
RigJack-up drilling rig, Gulf of Mexico
EmployerR & B Falcon Drilling USA, Inc.
ContractorSouthern Technology & Services Inc.
Court172nd District Court, Jefferson County, Texas
Lead counselBrian Beckcom
ResolvedMay 2003

The Incident: Tripping Pipe in the Gulf of Mexico

A jack-up drilling rig at night, its hull raised on three lattice legs above the water, deck lights on.

On September 30, 2000, a roughneck employed by R & B Falcon Drilling USA, Inc. was engaged in pipe-tripping operations aboard a jack-up rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Without warning, the main brake system on the pipe-lift elevator experienced total structural failure while holding heavy drill pipe loads.

The unsecured elevator assembly plummeted onto the rig floor, crushing the worker’s foot, dragging him across the deck, and slamming him violently into the central drawworks hoisting apparatus.

Liability & Discovery: Unsecured Pins and Critical Contractor Negligence

One month before the catastrophic failure, Southern Technology & Services Inc., an oilfield contractor based in Houma, Louisiana, was hired to repair and overhaul the rig’s drawworks. Forensic discovery demonstrated that during reassembly of the braking hardware, contractor personnel failed to fasten and secure the critical retaining pins required to maintain structural integrity under load.

Lead counsel Brian Beckcom filed federal maritime claims against employer R & B Falcon Drilling USA, Inc. under the Jones Act for employer negligence and general maritime law for unseaworthiness of the vessel. Concurrent third-party maritime negligence claims were asserted against Southern Technology & Services Inc. for defective maintenance and improper mechanical overhaul.

Corporate Cross-Claims and Comparative Fault Defenses

Throughout depositions, both corporate entities sought to evade responsibility. Southern Technology’s supervisor admitted under oath that he was not physically present on the rig during the brake overhaul, alleging that R & B Falcon’s crew performed the installation. Conversely, R & B Falcon produced internal rig records showing the contractor’s personnel performed the defective service work.

Faced with overwhelming physical proof of mechanical negligence, the defense pivoted to comparative fault tactics. Defendants argued the roughneck was contributorily negligent for failing to dodge the falling elevator, pointing out that co-workers avoided injury and alleging that ill-fitting work boots restricted his mobility on the rig deck.

VB Attorneys methodically dismantled these defenses, establishing that no worker could anticipate an instantaneous brake collapse caused by missing safety fasteners on essential rig machinery.

Medical Realities: Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) and Lumbar Surgery

The crush impact inflicted severe trauma to the worker’s foot and severe rotational forces across his spinal column. Medical evaluations confirmed severe crush injury to the hallux (big toe) leading to Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD/CRPS)—a painful, debilitating neurological condition. The lumbar trauma caused herniations requiring a surgical discectomy.

The defense retained two independent medical examiners (IMEs) who aggressively disputed the RSD diagnosis, contested the origin of the spinal injuries, and claimed the worker was fully capable of returning to heavy labor. Objective diagnostic imaging and treating specialist testimony discredited the defense experts.

Financial Recovery Breakdown & Resolution

The litigation proceeded in the 172nd District Court of Jefferson County, Texas, and resolved in May 2003 for a total recovery of $950,000. Third-party contractor Southern Technology & Services Inc. paid $800,000, reflecting its direct responsibility for the defective brake overhaul. Vessel owner/employer R & B Falcon Drilling USA, Inc. contributed $150,000, which included $90,000 in pre-settlement medical and cure disbursements.

The third-party maintenance contractor paid over five times the amount paid by the direct Jones Act employer, proving the necessity of pursuing third-party equipment claims alongside traditional maritime remedies.

What the evidence showed

  1. The repair. The pins for the braking unit were never secured when the brakes were reworked a month earlier.
  2. The finger-pointing. Each company said the other did the brake work.
  3. The blame on the worker. Defense arguments claiming the worker moved too slowly and that ill-fitting boots impaired his mobility.
  4. The medicine. Reflex sympathetic dystrophy and lower back surgery, disputed by two defense doctors.

Who paid

Southern Technology & Services Inc.$800,000
R & B Falcon Drilling USA, Inc.$150,000
Total$950,000

Two companies spent the case blaming each other and the man who was hurt. Both paid.

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Frequently Asked Questions

On September 30, 2000, the brakes on a pipe-lift elevator failed on an R & B Falcon jack-up drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, and the elevator fell on a roughneck’s foot and threw him against the drawworks. The contractor that had reworked the brakes a month earlier, Southern Technology & Services Inc., had never secured the braking unit’s pins. Brian Beckcom brought the case in Jefferson County, Texas, and it resolved in May 2003 for $950,000.
Yes. A contractor that repairs or maintains equipment on a rig owes the crew reasonable care in doing that work, and it can be sued for negligence when a bad repair hurts someone, separate from any claim against the worker’s employer. Here the employer faced Jones Act claims and the contractor faced a negligence claim for the brake work, and the contractor paid the larger share. Read more about offshore rig injury claims.
Yes. Under the Jones Act, a seaman’s own share of fault reduces his recovery by that percentage, but it does not bar the claim, even if his share is large. That is different from Texas injury law, where a person found more than 50 percent responsible recovers nothing. Companies still use this argument to reduce a case’s value. Here, the defense claimed the roughneck moved too slowly and wore stolen boots that did not fit, and the case still resolved for $950,000.
$950,000. The contractor that reworked the brakes, Southern Technology & Services Inc., paid $800,000, and the employer, R & B Falcon Drilling USA, Inc., paid $150,000, including $90,000 it had already paid toward his medical bills. The split tracks the evidence: the failure came from the brake work.
Find out who last worked on the equipment, and get that equipment and its repair records preserved before they are fixed, replaced or sent ashore. Write down what failed, who saw it, and what you were told about it afterward. Get your own doctor. In general, a seaman has three years to file a Jones Act claim. VB Attorneys reviews offshore rig injury cases for free. Call (877) 724-7800.
When multiple defendants attempt to evade responsibility by pointing fingers at each other—such as an employer and an independent maintenance contractor shifting blame—rigorous forensic discovery is essential. VB Attorneys used internal rig records, deposition admissions, and physical evidence of missing safety fasteners to dismantle these defenses and prove exact liability.
Defense experts frequently dispute complex neurological and spinal conditions like RSD (CRPS) and lumbar disc herniations. Overcoming these tactics requires objective diagnostic imaging, treating specialist testimony, and meticulous medical documentation that directly links the crush impact and rotational forces of the equipment failure to the resulting permanent disability.

Every case is different. Prior results depend on the facts of the individual case and do not guarantee a similar outcome.

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