Longshoreman Files Suit After Head Is Crushed

A longshoreman has filed a personal injury suit claiming that the negligence of three Louisiana companies was the cause of his head being crushed between a boat and a dock.

According to the suit filed in Texas’ Jefferson County District Court on April 3 by Alejandro Francisco Cruz against Fluid Crane & Construction, Tidewater Inc., and its wholly-owned subsidiary Quality Shipyards, he was employed as a longshoreman by Hutco Inc., a labor services firm, on October 10 with Fluid Crane directing him as to what duties to perform.

The suit says that Cruz was asked to tie and untie the M/V Gizmo, a push boat, and other items that required moving. Cruz claims that as he was following the instructions he had been given, he was crushed between the M/V Gizmo and a dock belonging to Quality and Tidewater.

Cruz claims the incident caused him to incur medical costs and experience physical pain, mental anguish, lost wages, lost earning capacity, physical impairment, and lost physical capacity.

The suit alleges negligence on the part of Tidewater and Quality for failure to provide a safe workplace, failure to take reasonable precautions, failure to warn, failure to properly train Cruz, failure to provide safe work equipment, failure to warn of hidden defects, failure to correct hazardous conditions, failure to guard against negligent injury, and exposing Cruz to harm.

The suit alleges negligence on the part of Fluid Crane for failure to take reasonable precautions for the safety of workers, failure to provide capable workers, failure to properly train Cruz and its employees, failure to use safe equipment to move the vessel, and failure to use ordinary care in its supervision and direction of the work.

Cruz seeks unspecified damages.