Case at a glance
- Recovery: $745,000 Settlement
- Injury: Back injury requiring two-level lumbar fusion
- Practice: Maritime Injury
- Attorney: Vuk Vujasinovic
An offshore assignment that required a transfer
Marc worked as an offshore platform operator for Production Management Industries. His work took him to the MI 604 platform in the Gulf of Mexico.
On June 10, 1998, he was assigned to bring a well back into operation on a satellite platform. Marc alleged that a supervisor directed him to leave the MI 604 platform and board a utility boat by swing rope, even though the weather conditions were rough.
The transfer became the central event in his case. Marc claimed that he hurt his back while moving from the platform to the boat.
Treatment progressed to a two-level fusion
Marc initially received conservative treatment for his back injury. When that treatment did not resolve the problem, his orthopedic surgeon performed a lumbar fusion at two levels, L4-5 and L5-S1.
His claim included approximately $82,000 in medical bills. It also addressed the effect of the injury on his ability to earn a living for the remainder of his expected working life.
Examining who controlled the transfer
Vuk and the VB Attorneys team pursued a negligence lawsuit in Harris County against the companies involved in the platform and vessel operations.
The claim examined two separate decisions: whether Marc should have been directed to attempt the swing transfer in those conditions, and whether the vessel operator should have stopped the operation because of the weather.
Marc also alleged that a deckhand should have been positioned to help him make the transfer. The lawsuit therefore looked beyond the fact that he used a swing rope. It addressed the weather, the decision to proceed and the assistance available when he moved between the platform and the boat.
A $745,000 settlement before trial
The parties negotiated a $745,000 settlement before trial.
The result followed a case focused on the conditions surrounding an offshore personnel transfer and the consequences of an injury serious enough to require spinal fusion.
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