first of all, at least those that made it to the liferaft, were safe. sounds to me like they were taking them off like a triage ward system. some folks may not agree, but then, most folks don’t understand what constitutes and higher risk of emergency.
seaworthy? last i heard, rigs are rigs and not boats! they are not designed to float and move by self-propulsion, just sit!
ii do understand the loss of life, and it was a tragedy. hopefully the industry can find a better way of rescue. here’s one thing everyone tends to forget – men are working and men can make mistakes. sometimes as a man working, you do not take safety precautions as should or even know how to handle an issue when it happens. each situation is unique, i know because i used be onboard a Navy Carrier for 3 years. you can train and train, but when the real thing happens, you hope that instincts kick in. matter of fact, i remember an incident, where we lost 2 of our sailors. so, i understand.
This oil rig is aactually a floating platform. Maritime workers including offshore workers who work on jack-up rigs, barges, drill ships, crew boats or other movable vessels are protected by the Jones Act. This federal law recognizes the dangerous work conditions that maritime workers face offshore and allows workers and their families to bring legal actions based on claims of negligence and to recover damages for injuries. Maritime workers can bring a claim if they can show negligence or fault on the part of a vessel’s owners, operators or other crew. Offshore workers can also bring a claim if they were injured based on a defect in the vessel or its gear, making it unseaworthy.
As a Navy veteran who has conducted Search And Rescue operations- I can say that the Navy estimate was that the average maritime survivor could expect to wait at least 24 hours before being picked up.
I think the attorneys smell blood and are shamelessly pushing some of these folks to sue just for the attorneys’ chance to bag the big game.
WELL WE ALL KNEW THE LAWSUITS WERE COMING!!!I DO NOT THINK BP HAS ENOUGH $$ NOR INSURANCE TO TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING THEY WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR, SO THESE GUYS ARE AMONG THE FIRST TO GET IN LINE BEFORE THE $$ RUNS OUT!!!!
These pieces of human garbage should be grateful to be alive much less try to get rich quick because they had to sit in a raft for a few hours. Their attorney should be embarassed to try and explain what their damages are. They wanted the big bucks and worked in an inherently dangerous environment. Big deal….they sat in a raft. Hopefully their suit will be at the bottom of the barrel.
Honestly, this is one of the worst examples of system abuse I have seen in my career. I’m sure we all feel for the people who went through this but what has come of this country if this kind of action is allowed. That attorney should be disbarred-if not strung up and disemboweled. Those guys should be put back in the raft and sent back out to sea.
Wow! Very strong words. Have you ever sat in a life raft, no food, no water, no bathroom, unknowing if someone is coming back to get you or not while watching the
rig burn, knowing that friends have died and others are dying?
Maybe they don’t deserve millions, but due to the fact that something went wrong to cause the rig to burn and sink and they
are entitled to something.
It’s easy to judge. Try empathizing instead. Do you think they will ever be able to work on a rig again? I know that I would not.
I sympathize for what they went through, but you would almost think they had to sign some kind of release that they knew the dangers of their job. If they can sue for the trauma of sitting on a life boat, I should be able to sue for the trauma I’m being put through at the gas pump. It’s already up $.20 a gallon from all this. It’s so traumatic I may never be able to watch the news again. Oh wait, it’s called LIFE! Get off the life boat, take a day off and then get back to work. Next thing you’ll know American’s will be suing for the trauma of when their boyfriend or girlfriend breaks up with them.
Did you sit at the pump for 10 hrs without food or water? Did you watch
friends die?
I do think that what these people went
through is a little more traumatic than
a hit to your wallet or a break up.
Life is a struggle for most. But how many of us face such things? Being alone surrounded by water for 10 hours without
supplies like they were is NOT something
to trivialize. I know people are sue happy in this country. I know that this should not make them millionaires. But
they don’t deserve to be raked over the
coals. You don’t know–until it’s you.
When these workers took this job they knew the risks involved. I’m sure they are not working for peanuts. Should they get rich over this event. I think not and if our jusdicial system (judges with guts) would stand up to the greedy lawyers, we would all be better off and not have to worry every time something happens.
Baxter, Shameless, and Eli are spot on. Anyone who works on an oil rig knows the risks. Life rafts are available for just such a situation. Do honestlty believe they “deserve” money because their pathetic lives were saved? They lived to be able to work again and enjoy life. I doubt they actually saw anyone die so the thei “trauma” was minimal. People have been stuck in traffic or on an airplane for as long. This is an insurance blog and youy obviously don’t work in claims. I’d hate to have you on a jury. Suggest you go to motherteresa.com.
Sherri, you wrote, “Wow! Very strong words. Have you ever sat in a life raft, no food, no water, no bathroom, unknowing if someone is coming back to get you or not…”
Great argument. Let’s take a look at your points.
1. No bathroom? There was a bathroom, it’s called the ocean.
2. How do you know there was no food or water? Nowhere in the article does it say that. Life rafts are generally equipped with emergency supplies, I would imagine that these were also equipped.
3. “Not knowing if someone is going to come get you.” Yeah, the company and governmental agencies were just going to let the platform burn and oil leak forever. And the heck with the employees. Happens all the time.
This lawsuit is yet another example of how bad things are getting in the US.
Sherri – only an idiot argues with a fool. These fools don’t read past the first paragraph, and ignore the rest of the article, or just have reading comprehension problems. For the record, they didn’t just sit in a lifeboat for hours. The article clearly states that “Rig workers seriously injured in the explosion were taken to hospitals by helicopter, but others were made to wait on the lifeboats despite suffering injuries and severe stress. Watson suffered smoke inhalation and other injuries, such as post-traumatic stress from watching many of his friends get severely injured and die. Kritzer was blown over 30 feet in a hallway and the ceiling collapsed on him, causing him to black out. He suffered a head injury and post-traumatic stress as well, according to the lawsuit. We have a legal system to sort this stuff out, and these jerks wouldn’t even make it on jury.
first of all, i think this brought about the understanding of how truly dangerous this job is. you signed onto this job, and you knew the risk but probably did not comprehend the complexity of the various dangers. this is problem the main concern.
agreed, bathroom = ocean.
life raft, is meant for safety, you could have been swimming for the most part and become shark bait. but someone said it plainly earlier, you have a life still. yes, it probably hurt to see some of your workmates get hurt and know that a few did not survive. good news: you have your health and are living to work another day.
A lot of people “sign on” for dangerous jobs so that they can put food on their table and provide for their families. I doubt that they wanted to take these jobs because they like the danger and like being away from their loved ones. I’m sure many of them would have prefered an opportunity to go to college and sit behind a desk, typing blog entries criticizing working class people for being “pathetic” and trivializing their trauma. Yes they knew what they were getting into when they signed up for the job, so we should feel no need to “empathize” with their situation. Pass me another doughnut while I deride their greed….
well, some of us have been on the hardworking class. i used to be in the navy onboard a carrier, that is the toughest job in the world! so many operations going on a flight deck, and yet, we try to keep safety #1. i was also a truck driver, so i understand driving on the road. i drove 48 states and canada as a driver trainer. so i can seriously say, i understand tough jobs. whether you signed on for a variety of reasons, does not get you past the point of SAFETY! if that liferaft kept you safe and out of harms way, it allowed others to be ferried by helicopter that needed more serious help.
first of all, at least those that made it to the liferaft, were safe. sounds to me like they were taking them off like a triage ward system. some folks may not agree, but then, most folks don’t understand what constitutes and higher risk of emergency.
seaworthy? last i heard, rigs are rigs and not boats! they are not designed to float and move by self-propulsion, just sit!
ii do understand the loss of life, and it was a tragedy. hopefully the industry can find a better way of rescue. here’s one thing everyone tends to forget – men are working and men can make mistakes. sometimes as a man working, you do not take safety precautions as should or even know how to handle an issue when it happens. each situation is unique, i know because i used be onboard a Navy Carrier for 3 years. you can train and train, but when the real thing happens, you hope that instincts kick in. matter of fact, i remember an incident, where we lost 2 of our sailors. so, i understand.
This oil rig is aactually a floating platform. Maritime workers including offshore workers who work on jack-up rigs, barges, drill ships, crew boats or other movable vessels are protected by the Jones Act. This federal law recognizes the dangerous work conditions that maritime workers face offshore and allows workers and their families to bring legal actions based on claims of negligence and to recover damages for injuries. Maritime workers can bring a claim if they can show negligence or fault on the part of a vessel’s owners, operators or other crew. Offshore workers can also bring a claim if they were injured based on a defect in the vessel or its gear, making it unseaworthy.
thanks
As a Navy veteran who has conducted Search And Rescue operations- I can say that the Navy estimate was that the average maritime survivor could expect to wait at least 24 hours before being picked up.
I think the attorneys smell blood and are shamelessly pushing some of these folks to sue just for the attorneys’ chance to bag the big game.
WELL WE ALL KNEW THE LAWSUITS WERE COMING!!!I DO NOT THINK BP HAS ENOUGH $$ NOR INSURANCE TO TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING THEY WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR, SO THESE GUYS ARE AMONG THE FIRST TO GET IN LINE BEFORE THE $$ RUNS OUT!!!!
These pieces of human garbage should be grateful to be alive much less try to get rich quick because they had to sit in a raft for a few hours. Their attorney should be embarassed to try and explain what their damages are. They wanted the big bucks and worked in an inherently dangerous environment. Big deal….they sat in a raft. Hopefully their suit will be at the bottom of the barrel.
Honestly, this is one of the worst examples of system abuse I have seen in my career. I’m sure we all feel for the people who went through this but what has come of this country if this kind of action is allowed. That attorney should be disbarred-if not strung up and disemboweled. Those guys should be put back in the raft and sent back out to sea.
Wow! Very strong words. Have you ever sat in a life raft, no food, no water, no bathroom, unknowing if someone is coming back to get you or not while watching the
rig burn, knowing that friends have died and others are dying?
Maybe they don’t deserve millions, but due to the fact that something went wrong to cause the rig to burn and sink and they
are entitled to something.
It’s easy to judge. Try empathizing instead. Do you think they will ever be able to work on a rig again? I know that I would not.
I sympathize for what they went through, but you would almost think they had to sign some kind of release that they knew the dangers of their job. If they can sue for the trauma of sitting on a life boat, I should be able to sue for the trauma I’m being put through at the gas pump. It’s already up $.20 a gallon from all this. It’s so traumatic I may never be able to watch the news again. Oh wait, it’s called LIFE! Get off the life boat, take a day off and then get back to work. Next thing you’ll know American’s will be suing for the trauma of when their boyfriend or girlfriend breaks up with them.
Did you sit at the pump for 10 hrs without food or water? Did you watch
friends die?
I do think that what these people went
through is a little more traumatic than
a hit to your wallet or a break up.
Life is a struggle for most. But how many of us face such things? Being alone surrounded by water for 10 hours without
supplies like they were is NOT something
to trivialize. I know people are sue happy in this country. I know that this should not make them millionaires. But
they don’t deserve to be raked over the
coals. You don’t know–until it’s you.
When these workers took this job they knew the risks involved. I’m sure they are not working for peanuts. Should they get rich over this event. I think not and if our jusdicial system (judges with guts) would stand up to the greedy lawyers, we would all be better off and not have to worry every time something happens.
Baxter, Shameless, and Eli are spot on. Anyone who works on an oil rig knows the risks. Life rafts are available for just such a situation. Do honestlty believe they “deserve” money because their pathetic lives were saved? They lived to be able to work again and enjoy life. I doubt they actually saw anyone die so the thei “trauma” was minimal. People have been stuck in traffic or on an airplane for as long. This is an insurance blog and youy obviously don’t work in claims. I’d hate to have you on a jury. Suggest you go to motherteresa.com.
Sherri, you wrote, “Wow! Very strong words. Have you ever sat in a life raft, no food, no water, no bathroom, unknowing if someone is coming back to get you or not…”
Great argument. Let’s take a look at your points.
1. No bathroom? There was a bathroom, it’s called the ocean.
2. How do you know there was no food or water? Nowhere in the article does it say that. Life rafts are generally equipped with emergency supplies, I would imagine that these were also equipped.
3. “Not knowing if someone is going to come get you.” Yeah, the company and governmental agencies were just going to let the platform burn and oil leak forever. And the heck with the employees. Happens all the time.
This lawsuit is yet another example of how bad things are getting in the US.
Sherri – only an idiot argues with a fool. These fools don’t read past the first paragraph, and ignore the rest of the article, or just have reading comprehension problems. For the record, they didn’t just sit in a lifeboat for hours. The article clearly states that “Rig workers seriously injured in the explosion were taken to hospitals by helicopter, but others were made to wait on the lifeboats despite suffering injuries and severe stress. Watson suffered smoke inhalation and other injuries, such as post-traumatic stress from watching many of his friends get severely injured and die. Kritzer was blown over 30 feet in a hallway and the ceiling collapsed on him, causing him to black out. He suffered a head injury and post-traumatic stress as well, according to the lawsuit. We have a legal system to sort this stuff out, and these jerks wouldn’t even make it on jury.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/06/AR2010050606409.html?hpid%3Dartslot&sub=AR
first of all, i think this brought about the understanding of how truly dangerous this job is. you signed onto this job, and you knew the risk but probably did not comprehend the complexity of the various dangers. this is problem the main concern.
agreed, bathroom = ocean.
life raft, is meant for safety, you could have been swimming for the most part and become shark bait. but someone said it plainly earlier, you have a life still. yes, it probably hurt to see some of your workmates get hurt and know that a few did not survive. good news: you have your health and are living to work another day.
A lot of people “sign on” for dangerous jobs so that they can put food on their table and provide for their families. I doubt that they wanted to take these jobs because they like the danger and like being away from their loved ones. I’m sure many of them would have prefered an opportunity to go to college and sit behind a desk, typing blog entries criticizing working class people for being “pathetic” and trivializing their trauma. Yes they knew what they were getting into when they signed up for the job, so we should feel no need to “empathize” with their situation. Pass me another doughnut while I deride their greed….
well, some of us have been on the hardworking class. i used to be in the navy onboard a carrier, that is the toughest job in the world! so many operations going on a flight deck, and yet, we try to keep safety #1. i was also a truck driver, so i understand driving on the road. i drove 48 states and canada as a driver trainer. so i can seriously say, i understand tough jobs. whether you signed on for a variety of reasons, does not get you past the point of SAFETY! if that liferaft kept you safe and out of harms way, it allowed others to be ferried by helicopter that needed more serious help.