Bangladeshi Dies in Storm
<i>'Wrongful' death suit filed in Texas</i>
The mother of a Bangladeshi geologist who died in a storm in the Gulf of Mexico last month has filed a case with a Texas court against two US companies and an Australian company alleging negligence in saving her son's life.
The law firm Maritime Accident Attorney filed the case with the federal court in Galveston, Texas, early this month on behalf of Hosne Ara Begum, mother of deceased Nadimuzzaman Khan, 42 for the damages, his family members told The Daily Star recently.
Nadimuzzaman, a Dhaka University graduate, and nine others were aboard a lift boat operated by US-based company Trinity Liftboat Services to conduct seismic survey in the Mexican gulf for US company, Geokinetics.
They were forced to evacuate the lift boat after one of the platform's support legs collapsed in high seas during tropical storm Nate on September 8, they said.
A standby vessel -- Mermaid Vigilance-- owned by Mermaid Marine, Australia, was stationed near the lift boat to protect the survey team in adverse weather conditions , but it did not go for rescue operation, said Nadimuzzaman's brother Mamun Zaman.
Three of the team members drowned, while Mexican Navy rescued the seven others 80 km off the coast of Campeche after three days.
Mamun said his brother was taken to a hospital along with six others. He died there while the others survived. Negligence in rescue operation and treatment led to his brother's death, Mamun told The Daily Star.
Nadimuzzaman, son of late Kamal Uddin of Pabna, was trained to survive in difficult situations.
“My mother is still sick. She cannot overcome the shock of her son's death. We want justice,” Mamun said.
He appealed to the government to help them fight for justice.
Earlier, two of the survivors and the family of one of the three who drowned had sued the three companies in the same court for damages.
In its website, the law firm said, “It is hoped that through the lawsuit process, a message can be sent to the maritime industry reinforcing the importance of marine safety.”
The Australian company, however, denied liability, saying it will defend itself, according to a report in Australian newspaper The Age.
It claimed that the master of Mermaid Vigilance had to turn for shore during the storm to protect the lives of 37 passengers and crew on board, and disputed that the ship was employed as a standby vessel.
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