A native of Puerto Rico was recently awarded a record $7.5 million
settlement in a back and neck injury lawsuit following the sudden explosion of
an air tank aboard a marine vessel that was docked for repairs. Plaintiff
Edward Perez-Mossetty was seriously injured in the explosion. The
then-37-year-old was affecting repairs aboard the vessel on behalf of
defendants American Tugs Inc. The plaintiff was in the engine room that also
housed an aging air tank that was exhibiting signs of thinning and pitting.
According to court records in the back injury compensation claim,
the tank had been installed without a working pressure relief valve and was
normally operated in an automated fashion, with the air compressor automatically
shutting down when the desired pressure within the tank was reached.
However, on the day of the accident, employees had been operating the
compressor in manual mode as the compressor had been shutting off too soon. The
pressure within the tank had built up to a level that the pitted walls of the
tank could not withstand. The ensuing explosion caused Perez-Mossetty to
be thrown into the air. He landed on his neck and sustained serious back and
neck injuries from which, in spite of surgical intervention and months of
rehabilitative treatment, he has failed to fully recover.
Perez-Mossetty suffered a serious neck injury when he landed after
being thrown into the air from the explosion. The plaintiff suffered partial
paralysis and serious motor and sensory impairments. He requires assistance to
walk and to maintain daily activities. Perez-Mossetty also remains in constant
pain and will require assistive devices and ongoing medical care and treatment
going forward for as long as he remains alive. He can no longer work.