a strange death pt. 2
You can read part 1 two posts down.
I had been working offshore in the North Sea off the coast of Scotland and England for several months on my first overseas contract when I got a message from the company headquarters in New Orleans. It seemed that there was a lawsuit that had been filed by John’s family citing wrongful death and negligence on the part of the company. I wasn’t aware that it had even been filed until that moment. The man had died on the job almost 2 years previous and I had put the entire episode out of my mind. The message said I had to be inshore and that I would fly back to New Orleans and be there for the court dates. An entire week in New Orleans, paid and with all my expenses covered to boot! It was like an awesome vacation invitation except I might be called in as a witness in the state court of Louisiana. The company had no choice but to ensure that I was there for the trial in case I was called upon.
I flew in and I was not given any instructions except for what dates and times I had to be there and just wait outside of the courtroom in case I was called. Of course the first thing I did was visit family and friends because I showed up on the weekend and made myself ready for court that Monday morning. When I arrived I was brought into a meeting with the lawyers in the DA’s office and given the statement that I had written 2 years before the day of the death. It was scrawled on a yellow legal sheet in my own handwriting and I was sort of dismayed that it had been filed and now put before me in such a way. It looked worn like it had been viewed many times over and over again. I was told to read it over and to make sure everything that I had written was to the best of my recollection. I did so, but now looking over it I wondered how accurate it was regarding the blur of events and it seemed ok so I handed it back. I suddenly realized that I may be a key witness and this of course got me very nervous.
The first day of the trial passed and I wasn’t called, I just anxiously waited in a nearby room. I had to wait till the 2nd day to get the whole mess out of the way and It turned out to be a very strange and unusual situation to be in. I was still very nervous as my name was called and I made my way thru the huge room. I had not been inside until that moment and it was very strange seeing all those faces looking at me as I walked in, some I knew most of them though were new to me. It was easy to spot the family, the wife was dressed in mourning clothes and held a tissue to her face. I thought it odd she might be mourning so hard 2 years later but I decided it must be for show to the jury.
The bailiff swore me in and I took my seat in the witness stand and the plaintiff’s attorney started questioning me. His questions sometimes seemed out of line to me and he seemed to be trying to make me look like I did not know what I was doing on the job the night of the mans death. In other words trying to make me look stupid because I didn’t use certain technical terms in my handwritten statement. One thing he seized on in particualr was that I used diving jargon in my statement to describe some of the equipment instead of the precise technical terms. One in particular was that I had used the words decompression chamber in my statement to describe what is technically known as a hyperbaric re-compression chamber like I didn’t know the difference between the two. I did know the difference, but he tried to make it appear that I did not.
I was very young of course and hell I was only 21 at the time of the trial. The only training I had ever received was within the company itself and they deemed me fit to do the job that was given to me. He would ask a question and I would try to elaborate on what I meant on my statement. This made him angry and he asked the judge if he could treat me as a hostile witness. The man was intent on making me look as undertrained and irresponsible and incapable of doing my job as he posssibly could. Maybe his entire case hinged on making me appear to be incompetent which of course would put the company at fault for any damages that I “might” have done as far as improper care for the deceased diver during the mans death. Being a hostile witness meant that I could only reply with yes or no answers, with no elaboration whatsoever. This made me angry of course and I think that’s what the asshole was trying to do all along. In trying to defend myself it just made me seem foolish and at the mercy of this bastard that was a part of suing the company because the man had a heart attack. I suffered thru a few more of his stupid questions and I was finally allowed to leave the stand.
The next day I arrived not sure if I was going to be called upon again and I was in the hallway outside the courtroom. After a time passed I was approached by one of the company lawyers and was told to go home, the case had been settled out of court for an undisclosed sum with the company admitting no wrong doing. I had the distinct feeling that the plaintiff’s lawyers had also had a field day shooting down the dive contollers statements and the so called dive doctors statements as well. The company had caved in to save embarrasement and the deed was done. The family presumably got wealthy over a natural heart attack and the company lost it’s ass.
The entire ordeal left a sour taste as I realized just how much of what I had done that day and night was scrutinized over and over again as though I had something to do with causing the man to die. I didn’t like it of course but I was able to use what I learned a few years later in another situation involving 2 divers that died on the job. Two friends of mine that suffered needless deaths and it would haunt me unless I could find some way to prevent that from happening again.
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Firsties?
yeee!
Anyway…wow, that would haunt a person. Pretty intense there, bud.
*hugs*
I’ve no idea what to say, Sev….
*hug*poink*
Sounds like that trial really put a few things in perspective for you. Amazing how certain events stay with you even when you think you have forgotten.
Hugs to ((((Seven)))
What a shitty spot to be in! It’s hard enough to mourn the loss of someone and then to have it turned into a three-ring circus so money can change hands really takes the feelings and shifts them on the less important. I hope you at least had time to mourn the guy’s death in the time before the trial.
Lois Lane
P.S. I pimped you out like one of my hos today. Hope you don’t mind.
Sheesh. Lois already said it, but it’s worth echoing. That stinks bigtime for you to be grilled and treated like that. I’m saddened to read of the needless deaths of 2 of your friends. :o(
But what was it that you remembered?? You promised it’d be in there!
~hugs~
This must have haunted you for all of these years. I am glad you’re releasing it.
It is a terrible thing they did to you sweetie. Making someone so young carry a burden like that.
I’m with tCj… you said you would tell us what you remembered.
Feel my sweetest kisses on your cheeks? I’ll talk to you soon.
*You get to tell me what panties you are wearing today*
i really love reading these stories seven, thanks for sharing then with us … now show me your boobs
Pretty exciting stuff, IMHO. It’s too bad, but they were lawyers, just being lawyers. I had read your earlier story about how the guy died, and have now gone back and read your transplant story. Very interesting life you’ve had!
I guess that the lawyers job, to make the other person feel imcompetent. I’m sure you didn’t do anything at all to worsen the heart attack that was far from your control.
YOU know YOU did everything you could, Sev. Fucking Trial Lawyers piss me off. Bastards. Creeps. Pricks. etc.
Celti= yay firsties!! hehe you get free smooches!!!!! it didn’t haunt me that much, it did make me more thoughtful about certain aspects of my job though….
Angel= it’s ok, sweetheart! thanks for the nice hugs!! *poink*~!!
Boo= yes that is true, i came away from it just a bit more grown up and awake to the realitys of the way things work, things i had not witnessed before in person
and you can pimp me out anytime you like sweetie!! thanks for thinking about me too 
*smooches*~!
Lois= it really wasn’t that bad, the guy pissed me off but he was doing his job, ugly as it was. I felt used after wards like the fukker had spit on me or something you know? If we hadn’t been in a courtroom he woulda gotten a microscopic view of my closed fist a fraction of a second before it smashed into his eye.
GEL= yeah that’s another story that I plan on bringing here, I knew the mens families too. it was very sad and it wasn’t the last time it happened either!! 2 more men I also knew would die a similar death but at a different company!! Both incidents were do to faults in the equipment.
tCj= maybe i misworded it, what i meant was i didn’t think or remember to use the tecnically correct jargon to describe what happened, because i used a sort of deck slang in my statement he was able to make me look like i didn’t even know the names of the equipment that i was supposedly trained to operate. And that in turn made me seem like i was incompetent. I was not given the opportunity to display my skills and knowledge of my job in the courtroom. If the company lawyers tried to rebuke his line of questioning, it would have looked like i had been coached just before the trial to give the correct answers. The fact that I had it written down at the time of death was like irrefutable proof.
Tricia= hiya sweetstuff!! ohhh loverly kisses!! yummy!! and sorry babycakes, me no wear no panties!!
and the new liver is still kicking butt~!! i think i got one that had low miles 
bless the donor!!
Allie= hiya hon!! you wanna see some gigantic man boobs??? sorry, i don’t have any!!! how about some nice hugs instead~!!
Sophmom= hi there!! welcome to the doghouse!! hehe thanks, i try
Sharron= yes i know but that doesn’t make me feel any better
it was a dirty experience, i’m glad i didn’t get any on me… hehe. yeah i examined all the circumstances in my head over and over for a long time and I came to the conclusion that there was nothing I could have done to help him…
OHS= hiya guy!! I know, I wasn’t the man in charge by a long shot, and wow i’ll have to remember all those nice words on my next lawyerly contact
hehe
Hello sweetone–Lawyers suck and I get no pleasure from sucking I give pleasure from it…hehehe would you like a little smile. They were just after money any way they could get it, I have seen so many good physicians ruined by settling a case which was NOT a true malpractice case but a lawyer would advise to settle as that was in the best interest well just how many times can you do that? Scumbags=attorneys. Hugs
Gotcha Sev.
Amazing. Simply amazing that a wife could take the memory of her husband and use it to exploit money from his company.
I’m glad you didn’t punch the guy out. Angola is nice and all, but still
No panties?
Oh…
I meant my panties.
The ones you were wearing around your neck last night.
*poink*
Tricia, those were mine he was wearing last night! YOURS were acting as the gag, remember?
Man, what a bunch of bullshit. It’s one thing to want to be compensated when someone you love dies wrongfully, but it’s something else when the evidence is right there and they refuse to believe that it wasn’t someone else’s fault. Oh well. Life, huh?
Hey, I heard over at Home Fires that you’re a fellow Gemini! I’m the 27th. Punch it in!
Ok, I’m a dork, I know.
Sorry you had to be on the receiving end of a trial lawyer. I can tell you, having been a paralegal, that these people just suck. Glad you made it through and even used your experience to your benefit later.
Gawd! I love these graphics! Have you thought of adding music?
By the by, you asked for info on me and I forgot to add it so here goes…46, blissfully married (poor bastard-he is such a NICE man-too late), 2 dogs and I live & work on Cape Cod where the fishing is just getting started. Yipppeee! If ther is anything else you want to know, just ask!
tCj….
Ohhhhhhhhh yeah!
That’s right!
Those were your panties around his neck, but I used my muff to gag him.
I sure did!
Didn’t you notice how he kept saying
“mmmmph eeerrrrrrrrmph frrrrrrrrrrrm’.
I think my panties were keeping his hands tied to the headboard… don’t worry I checked his circulation. His blood was flowing just fine;)
I kind of like him like that.
Saddled up and tethered down!
We MUST do that again!
The teacher asked her 3rd grade class, “What does your father do for a living?”
She got the usual assortment of answers until one little boy piped up, “My daddy plays piano in a whorehouse!”
The teacher hurried on, letting the others answer, but when class let out she called this boy’s father at home.
“Your son just told an entire class that you play piano in a bordello–is that really true?”
“No, Ma’am, I’m actually a lawyer, but I didn’t want the boy to be embarrassed by what his dad does for a living.”
Se7en, you always seem to amaze me Sweetie, you are one hell of a guy and I have no doubt you knew what you were talking about, the lawyers on the other hand. well I have no use for none of them. But long story there. LOL.. thanks Sweetie for coming to my rescue on that other BS..
OH Yeah I am Back
*poink*
Huggz
G’mornin’ Se7!!!!
*hugs*
*poink*
!!!!!!!!!!
Wow, that sucked. It amazes me how long it takes for trials to get into a court.
The new header has been up before hasn’t it? Looks like more color was added to the animation. I like it!
Vickie= hiya hon!! yes, i’m smiling!!
and you’re right but I can’t say I blame them. Maybe they were suspicious about some aspects of what happened and they hoped that it would come out in open court. The family lost it’s breadwinner and they were likely in dire straits…
tCj= hehe, i’m so glad ya got me! lol
Becka= yeah i’ve heard that Angola sucks anytime of the year! hahaha
Tricia= nope no panties that I actually wear, I may have a few pair laying around though for keepsakes… too bad the scent is all gone though
tCj= wow, more panties, i have to be the luckiest guy around! wooohooo!!!
E-Lo= hehe yeah that’s life!! hiya fellow gemini!! yay!! for us! weeeee!
Nori= hiya hon!! thanks for the sweet compliments! blissfully married??? =(
Tricia= if you don’t do that again i’ll be angry!!! i can’t wait ;)0
Serra= hi there! welcome to the doghouse err house of dog or whatever hehe thats funny!!
Jade= such sweet compliments, i knew there was a reason why i got out of bed this morning
hehe *poink*~!!
Angel= morning my little ray of sunshine!! !!!!!!!!!!!! backatcha sweetie~!!
Micki= thanks hon, yes it has, i did a few changes to it, thanks for noticing! *hugs*~!!!
I like your dive stories the best. Even the creepy ones.
hey i’m a gemini too - who knew?
wow. It’s to bad we have become a sue happy nation. I think that is just kind of insane, almost as bad as sueing McD’s for the coffee burn thing.
You know I only come here for the changes. New pics, new animations, new bloggy stuff. It most certainly couldn’t be the wonderful way you write of your life expiriences
hiya gorgeous…
seeing as you like meme’s so much. I left you one on my blog to fill in.
*hugs, smooches, gropes and all those deliciously bad things*
Seven - I haven’t been able to read your posts since I had to turn in my laptop. And, for some reason, the computers at school here keep blocking the text with the third column.
OK, so now there is no escaping. You have to write about the 2 friends story in your next post!
Nanner= thanks hon!!
Allie= hmm what a coincidence hehe
Jenn= hey grrrl! yeah we are sue happy. and i used to date a girl named Sue, she made me happy!
nooooo not another meme, you torturer!! gropes backatcha sweetie!! 
Micki= hiya and thanks!! i think…
D’Anerah= gorgeous huh? hehe thank you!!
Jethro= thats weird, the only thing in the right sidebar is my blogroll tho, maybe it’s blocking the Blogrolling link? hmmmmm dunno guy!
Crazy Girl= yes I know, now that I’ve mentioned it
This was obviously a job you enjoyed doing. I would imagine that a death of any sort might cast a pall on that joy.
Courtrooms are nasty business. Most times, it seems, it’s just who’s a better actor and who’s lawyer is best prepared. You were part of their means to an end.
lawyers are such bastards….as if you could have possibly guessed they’d be using the statement you wrote years later….
I’m sure he learned in a hurry what to do if he ever had to write another one of those statements, though Dawn. Unfortunately, you have to look at it from a survival standpoint, thank you lawyers!!
Happy weekend, Se7!! *hugz*
I’ve worked in law firms for twenty years and I’m really surprised the company didn’t do more to warn you about how the plaintiff’s attorney would treat you. The plaintiff’s attorney was hard on you because your statement was GOOD. He was just trying to break you down in front of the jury. It sucks but, hey, it pays my mortgage. Another great story, by the way.
Jeanette= yes that’s so true! More fun things to think about
Dawn= hehe. you know what’s said about hindsight! heehee
Angel= thankyew dawlin’ you too! *smooches*~!!
Laurie= Thanks hon!! i appreciate the nice compliment *hugs*~!!!
Okay, yeah, so um, I miss you and stuff, so like come the fuck back!
Lois Lane
I can think of a hundred lawyer jokes - problem is I think they’re all true
How was copper wire invented?
Two attorneys fighting over a penny.
That is aweful that things like that happen and the court system anywhere sucks when it takes 2 years for a case to come to trial, but that time most people forget those details needed to remember.
Hello love!
Woke up and couldn’t seem to get back to sleep.
You were the first thing on my mind.
Tonight was fun. You and Vader in one night!
MMMMMMMMMMMMMM
I didn’t want it to end.
Talk to you in the morning.
Lois= sorry sweetie!! I know I’ve been preoccupied lately with so much stuff…
Seamus= yeah the profession has a lower social rating than used car salesmen it seems
Celti= LOL *snicker* snack!
Char= hi cali grrrl!! glad to see you hon!!
Tricia= g’morning to you too baby!! *smooches*~!!!!!!!!!!!