Maritime Settlement: Offshore Worker Injured While Saving a Diver’s Life

I was the captain of a towing vessel on the lower Mississippi River, a little ways above Baton Rouge. Something got locked in the propeller, so it couldn’t move. We lost propulsion and steering on that side, which stopped the boat.

A diver showed up, and I asked him, “With the current moving this fast, is it safe to proceed?” He said, “Oh yeah, I’ve been in much worse conditions than this. There’s nothing to it.” I was on lookout when I saw what I thought was a clump of roots coming down the river. It turned out to be the diver—he was wrapped around a tree, going downriver. His safety line was ripping through his hands.

I ran down, grabbed the line, and started pulling him back. We pulled him to the boat, cut the tree loose, and got him back aboard. During that time, pulling the large tree and a 200+ pound man, something popped in my back. It felt strange—I knew something was different.

I called the office and told them something wasn’t right. They said, “We don’t have anyone to relieve you, just ride it one more day. Once you’re off, we’ll see how you feel.” They sent me to a small work-care clinic. They didn’t take x-rays or even ask my pain level. They just said, “It’s a sprain. Here’s a brace, go back to work.” I stayed on that extra day, went home, and then suddenly couldn’t get out of bed. That’s when everything started.

I had been with the same company for 20 years. Their whole thing was, “We’re family.” But when I tried dealing with everything myself, I got brushed off. “I’ll talk to so-and-so,” they’d say, but I could never get hold of anyone. I was at home, not doing anything, unable to do anything.

That’s when I called Zehl & Associates. Things started moving immediately. They got me to different doctors and ultimately got me the surgery I needed—a four-tier fusion along with a lumbar decompression. I was under for 11 hours. Justin Warner stayed in contact with me throughout the process. Any time I had a question, I called Zehl & Associates and was put through to him. He was extremely professional and patient, explaining everything clearly.

Zehl & Associates treated me like family before they even knew we had a case. After doing my research and seeing how Justin handled my case, I truly believe no other firm besides Zehl & Associates could have gotten me a better settlement. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.