Maersk Alabama crew member sues employers

A Maersk Alabama crew member, Richard E. Hicks, filed suit in Texas yesterday against his employer, Waterman Steamship Corporation and Maersk Line, Ltd. for "knowingly sending him into pirate-infested waters near Somalia without adequate protection."

Richard Hicks's attorney, Texas personal injury lawyer Terry Bryant, says the ship owners "knowingly exposed their employees to imminent danger and took no steps to provide appropriate levels of security and safety for its employees." You can read his full petition to the Harris Country, Texas, court HERE.

"Waterman Steamship Corporation and Maersk Line Limited chose to rely on the United States Military and taxpayers to provide after-the-fact rescue operations," said Bryant. "This choice caused substantially more cost and risk to human life than what would have been incurred by Defendants had they provided appropriate levels of security in the first place."

According to Bryant, Hicks says he still suffers from injuries as a result of the incident and is afraid to return to his work as a chief steward.

Terry Bryant is a Texas board-certified personal injury attorney and former judge whose principal office is based in Houston, Texas.