Wilson v. Seabulk Offshore, Ltd., et al.

Plaintiff, age 30, suffered a back injury when he was thrown from his seat on a crew boat taking him to an offshore platform. Disks L4-5 and L5-S1 were ruptured and his back was surgically fused. He was a field service technical earning $45,000 a year before the injury and his medical expenses were $95,000. He was unable to return to work. He claimed that the operator of the boat was running too fast for the sea conditions.

Settled for $1.25 million.

Dave Barnes, Slidell, Louisiana, meteorologist; John Manders, Covington, Lousiana, vessel operations; Joe Grace, Houston, Texas, vessel operations; Gilbert Meadows, San Antonio, Texas, orthopedic surgeon; and Donna Johnson, Corpus Christi, Texas, vocation rehabilitationist

Mervyn Tensley, Corpus Christi, Texas, vessel operations; David Scruton, Houston, Texas, vessel operations; Adelino Yung, Houston, Texas, biomechanics; and William Quintanilla, Houston, Texas, vocational rehabilitationist

This case was settled on March 28, 2003.