Verdict for Towboat Worker Injured in Hurricane Katrina

ADWB attorneys Roy Dripps and Charles Armbruster obtained judgment for Tyree Webb, a river worker who suffered PTSD after his employer required him and the rest of his crew to ride out Hurricane Katrina on board a river boat. The boat was located about 50 miles south of New Orleans, Louisiana when the storm hit. Rather than evacuate the crew like it had with other crews in the area, TECO Barge Line, Inc. chose to keep this crew on the boat. During the storm, the boat broke loose from it’s moorings. It rode through 26 foot waves. It was blown across the river and up river, against the current by the force of the storm. As a result, Webb suffered physical injuries and was disabled by post-traumatic stress disorder. Webb filed suit under the Jones Act and general maritime law for unseaworthiness. Webb has not been able to work since. The United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois determined that Webb was entitled to recover $4.29 million dollars in total damages.