Barge Worker Claims Poor Visibility Caused Accident

A man has filed a personal injury suit alleging that he suffered injuries to his knee after he tripped over rigging while boarding a barge.

According to the suit John Peebles filed on July 7 in Illinois’ Madison County Circuit Court, naming Bulk Service/Bulk Service of Tyler Street and Lewis and Clark Marine as defendants, he was working as a deckhand for Bulk Service on August 8 when the incident occurred as he was walking across the working deck of a barge.

The suit says that prior to Peebles’ fall, the barge had been loaded with grain, causing a large amount of grain dust to be released in the air, diminishing visibility. When he boarded the barge, it was dark and the lighting had been “distorted or diminished” by the grain dust.

Peebles says the diminished visibility was the reason for his fall, which he claims forced him to have surgery, lose wages and earning capacity, experience pain, suffering, and anguish, and incur medical expenses.

The suit alleges negligence on the part of Bulk Service for failure to provide a safe workplace, failure to inspect the work area, failure to provide sufficient training, and failure to provide adequate assistance.

The suit also names Lewis and Clark as a defendant due to one of its employees leaving the rigging he fell over in the walkway.

Peebles is seeking unspecified damages from the three-count suit.