A lawsuit has been filed in Nueces County, Texas, on behalf of Jose Cantu, a worker who was “seriously injured and burned” on 21 August in an explosion and fire that occurred while he was working on the dredger Waymon L. Boyd.
The dredging vessel, owned by Houston-based Orion Marine Group, with a crew of 19 people on board struck an underwater natural gas pipeline on the morning of 21 August, which set off a huge explosion, leaving four dead and many injured.
The lawsuit alleges that the defendants “failed to adequately plan the job, identify the pipeline in question, and warn the crew of the Waymon L. Boyd about the pipeline in question.” As a result, Cantu sustained severe burns.
“Burn cases are the most horrific types of injuries that we deal with because the pain for the survivor is unimaginable, it has a catastrophic impact on their ability to participate in daily activities, and turns the lives of everyone in the family upside down,” said Attorney Kurt Arnold of Arnold & Itkin law firm, who represents Canty and his family.
Arnold & Itkin has represented crew members and families of those lost or injured during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion.
“This type of maritime disaster should never have happened. There’s no excuse for it. We are determined to discover the full truth of why this happened and ensure that the companies accept full responsibility for the severity of the consequences. The defendants need to do the right thing to take care of these workers and their families. We’re committed to making sure a disaster like this never happens again,” Arnold said.
The cause of the accident is under investigation.