The incident occurred on Sept. 26, 2011 after Randall J. Brown was ordered by a superior to work on the vessel’s Morgan crane that required him to ascend the crane’s ladder.
As Brown descended the crane’s ladder, the complaint said, Brown’s boot became snagged in the ladder’s lower rung, causing him to fall a short distance onto the vessel’s deck below the crane’s ladder.
Brown suffered “severe injury to his right knee including, without limitation, injury to his medial collateral ligament and his meniscus, severe swelling and various contusions.” He also “suffered various contusions and swelling” to his body.
The complaint said the “crane ladder’s area did not have any non-skid materials applied on it.” The area was wet due to rain on the same day of the incident.
Brown landed on his feet “but because the vessel’s deck lacked sufficient grip, [Brown] slipped on the unsafe deck,” the complaint said.
Brown’s lawsuit contains admiralty claims along with general maritime claims and general tort claims, according to Bruce Berline and William Fitzgerald, the plaintiff’s attorneys.
The lawsuit said it named the federal government as defendant pursuant to Public Vessels Act, and/or the suits in Admiralty Act, as well as pursuant to general civil and maritime law.
According to the complaint, ISC and/or ISC’s subsidiaries, Waterman Steamship Corp., and/or LMS Shipmanagement Inc., as “agents,” operated the Pless under time-charter with the United States, specifically with the military sealift command.
Brown was hired and employed by LMS Shipmanagement Inc. as a seaman assigned to serve as a crew member aboard the Pless.
Brown has been a seaman the past 10 years, and he was employed at Pless the past 18 months.
Brown is asking for general damages and special damages in an amount to be determined at trial; prejudgment and post-judgment interests; cost of suit; and other relief.
US Navy’s military sealift command had yet to respond to inquiries of this reporter.
