VB Attorneys Files Lawsuit Against Kinder Morgan Over Drowning of Employee in Mississippi River
Houston, Texas (PRWEB) January 28, 2016 -- Vuk Vujasinovic of VB Attorneys has filed a lawsuit against Kinder Morgan Marine Services LLC on behalf of Lisa Hooper and her four minor children after her husband drowned as a result of his falling off a Kinder Morgan barge in the Mississippi River.
The lawsuit alleges that while assigned as a deckhand to the Austin Stone tugboat owned and operated by Kinder Morgan, unreasonably dangerous working conditions prevented Mr. Hooper from returning from the barges to the Austin Stone. He fell into the river and other Kinder Morgan employees were unsuccessful in attempting to retrieve Mr. Hooper.
The lawsuit filed in the 113th Harris County District Court on January 22, 2016 (Case Number 2016-04403), alleges that Kinder Morgan violated maritime safety rules and caused Mr. Hooper’s death. It further alleges that “during the evening January 9, 2016, Defendant, and or its employees, and/or agents negligently caused Mr. Hooper and other deckhands to service and traverse multiple barges under hazardous weather and poor lighting conditions.”
Filed under the Jones Act, general maritime law, and the common law, the lawsuit alleges that the vessel in question was unseaworthy and the Defendant failed to provide adequate training, failed to ensure its employees were adequately qualified to respond to man overboard situations, failed to adequately supervise its employees, and this negligence caused the death of Jerry Hooper.
To learn more about this case, read the lawsuit, or stay abreast of continuing developments in this litigation, visit http://www.vbattorneys.com.
About VB Attorneys
Based in Houston, Texas, VB Attorneys handles cases all over the world. The three Board Certified attorneys and their team of associate attorneys have successfully handled many high-profile work-related fatality and injury cases over the years, including work accidents occurring both on land and on water. To learn more about VB Attorneys, visit our website or call us at 877.724.7800.
Emily Corwin, VB Attorneys, http://www.vbattorneys.com/, +1 (713) 224-7800, [email protected]
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