BLOOD ON BROWN WATER

The Accident and Injury of Of Preston P. Joseph

 On December 16, 1998, plaintiff Preston P. Joseph was a crew member of  the M/V WAR ADMIRAL working in the Gulf of Mexico, Block 62, South West Pass. Preston worked as the vessel's cook. While so employed, he slipped and fell in water collected on the deck of the vessel's walk-in cooler while moving leaking bottles of water from the cooler floor to the top shelf so that he could gain better access to the walk-in cooler.

 "Preston alleged that other crew members of the M/V WAR ADMIRAL placed the water bottles that obstructed his access to the walk in cooler and that the placement of the water bottles that were leaking caused the floor to become slippery. He asserted, without any malice implied in his legal statement, that this was negligence and led to his injury thereby rendering the vessel unseaworthy. 

 Tidewater's Personal Injury or Illness Report dated Dec. 17, 1998 records that: "He was moving 2 cases of water from deck (to) the walk in cooler to the top shelf and felt sharp pain in the groin on right side".  The report relates that his injury was in the form of a "right testicle swollen and lower back pain."

 This was a "slip,trip, and fall" type of accident that is common in the workplace. The fact that this type of injury is common does not mean that it is not serious. The accident was both serious and painful.

 When we next take up the story we'll see how the reaction of his employer imposed a whole new world of pain on Preston and his family  

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