Oil rig survivors were detained until they signed papers absovling their bosses

[Enrique]

The workers who survived the awful explosion of the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil rig weren’t simply taken back to shore after their harrowing escape and rescue — instead, according to lawyers for the survivors and interviews with The Guardian, they were detained for up to 40 hours at sea, unable to even call their families until they had signed legal documents absolving Deepwater Horizon.

Lawyers say the isolation was deliberate and that Transocean was trying to wear the men down so they would sign statements denying that they had been hurt or that they had witnessed the explosion that destroyed the rig.

The White House just announced that Barack Obama is going to the Gulf on Friday to, who knows, yell at BP.


Read more at Wonkette: http://wonkette.com/415622/deepwater-horizon-kept-oil-rig-survivors-detained-until-they-signed-legal-documents#more-415622#ixzz0p3ggaIox

[Captain Hilts]

1. Those signatures should not be considered valid as they were signed under duress. nt

[brewens]

2. I'm no lawyer, but that is so obviously out of line, that it makes

you wonder, why even try it?

[Captain Hilts]

3. Seems like a no-shitter to me. nt

[Truth2Tell]

4. From the account in The Guardian...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/may/20/survivor-deepwater-horizon-gulf-oil-explosion

By Davis's estimate, it took 12-15 minutes to get from the rig to the work boat, but it would take another 36-40 hours before they were to return to shore – even though there were dozens of boats in the area and Coast Guard helicopters airlifting the most severely injured to hospital.

Some of the men were openly furious, while others, like Davis, were just numb. He says they were denied access to the onboard satellite phone or radio to call their families.

When the ship finally did move, it did not head for shore directly, stopping at two more rigs to collect and drop off engineers and coast guard crew before arriving at Port Fourchon, Louisiana.

The company was ready for the men then, with portable toilets lined up at the dock for drug tests. The men were loaded on to buses, given a change of clothing and boxes of sandwiches, and taken to a hotel in Kenner, Louisiana, where finally they were reunited with their families.

First things first... get the drug testing underway. And then sign your life away...

"These men are told they have to sign these statements or they can't go home," said Buzbee. "I think it's pretty callous, but I'm not surprised by it." Davis had been awake nonstop for about 50 hours by that point. He signed. Buzbee says most of the men did.

These companies are scum.

The whole article in The Guardian is well worth the read. Amazing harrowing escape from the rig!

[me b zola]

5. Sounds like kidnapping to me. n/t

[Truth2Tell]

6. And why didn't the Coast Guard take control of the survivors?

Since when does a private company have authority to detain anyone in this kind of situation?

:shrug:

KICK

[Truth2Tell]

7. I'm gonna kick this again dammit.

I think this is important and overlooked.