$400,000 recovered for injured Jones Act seaman after dredge accident mediation

Case Overview

Craig worked as an engineer aboard a commercial dredge vessel performing dredging operations
under contract with the United States Army Corps of Engineers. While working aboard the
vessel near Charleston, South Carolina, Craig suffered severe and life-altering injuries during a
dangerous spud-lifting operation used to reposition the dredge.
At the time of the incident, several senior crew members were absent from the vessel, leaving
only a limited crew available to perform the operation safely. During the process of lifting one of
the dredge’s spuds, a steel sling became jammed and would not lower properly. Without proper
tools or safe equipment available, Craig was forced to climb onto the spud ram housing to
manually free the sling.
While Craig was attempting to reposition the sling, the hydraulic ram suddenly activated and
swung inside the housing, crushing his left wrist and forearm before he could escape.

Craig suffered a catastrophic degloving injury to his forearm and wrist. Emergency responders
transported him ashore, where he underwent emergency surgery to clean and repair the extensive

damage. His injuries required additional surgeries, skin grafting procedures, wound management,
and nearly a year of painful physical therapy and rehabilitation.
Even after extensive treatment, Craig continued to experience severe pain, weakness, reduced
grip strength, nerve symptoms, and permanent functional limitations in his left arm and hand.
The injuries significantly impacted his ability to work, perform household activities, sleep
comfortably, and participate in hobbies he once enjoyed, including restoring automobiles.

Our firm was brought in to help assist in the case and enrolled “Pro hac vice” (allowed to
participate in the out-of-town case by the Court), to pursue claims under the Jones Act and
general maritime law, alleging both negligence and unseaworthiness of the vessel. Through
litigation and discovery, evidence revealed numerous safety failures surrounding the incident,
including inadequate staffing, lack of proper safety equipment, insufficient training, and the
absence of safe procedures for handling the dredge spuds.
Evidence also showed that another worker had previously suffered a similar injury aboard the
same vessel years earlier during nearly identical circumstances. Despite this prior incident, safer
procedures and equipment had still not been implemented at the time of Craig’s injury.

During litigation, Flattmann Law worked extensively with maritime safety experts, medical
specialists, vocational evaluators, and economists to document the full extent of Craig’s injuries,
disabilities, lost earning capacity, and future limitations. The defense attempted to argue that
Craig could still perform some type of sedentary work and disputed the severity of his long-term
disability.

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After extensive discovery, expert evaluations, and negotiations, the parties participated in
mediation and successfully resolved the case for $400,000 prior to trial.