Current Event
Lafayette Jury Awards
Litigation Can Be Complicated
October 6, 2010
Lafayette, LA
In a unanimous decision, a federal jury has awarded a 32-year-old oil field worker, Dan Averette, $4,091,867.17 for damages sustained in an offshore rig accident. The plaintiff was represented at trial by Joseph “Buzzy” Joy, of Joseph Joy & Associates, and assisted by Gordon J. Schoeffler, both of Lafayette, LA.
The incident occurred July 14th, 2007, and resulted in multiple injuries, including mild permanent brain damage. The Plaintiff was employed as a casing stabber with Frank’s Casing Crew and Rental Tools at the time of the accident, aboard the Amirante, which was owned by Transocean Enterprise Inc. and operated and maintained by Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling, Inc. The plaintiff was injured when the Amirante’s hydraulic basket, in which he was working, malfunctioned.
Avertte's, who has a wife and family, is unable to return to work or be left alone and will need round-the-clock care for the rest of his life.
“I feel the jury recognized the magnitude of what faces my client and the pain and suffering he will endure for the rest of his life,” Joy said. “When something like this happens, corporations owe a debt to the men and women who put their health and their lives on the line. This is a fair award and just compensation for this young man and his family. A case like this makes me proud to be a lawyer.”
The jury verdict against Transocean was announced by the court Friday, September 24, 2010. The trial was presided over by Magistrate Judge C. Michael Hill in the U.S. District Court, Western District of Louisiana, Lafayette-Opelousas Division.
Make sure you have a litigation attorney who can sort through all the issues and present a convincing argument to a jury.
Joseph R. Joy and his staff have continued innovative litigation in representing innocent victims of corporate negligence and/or injustice. Call 337-232-8123 or 1-800-824-9281 or e-mail us today and tell us about your litigation matter. You can be assured that we are on your side.
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