Former Tugboat Crewman Awarded $4.3 Million After Hurricane Katrina Ordeal

A federal court has awarded $4.3 million to a former tugboat crewman who says surviving Hurricane Katrina left him with severe psychological injuries, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suicidal thoughts. The judgment, handed down after a trial in the U.S. District Court in East Saint Louis, resolves claims that the crewman’s employer put him and his shipmates in grave danger during the 2005 storm.

Tyree Webb, 53, of Clarksville, Tennessee, served as a crewman aboard the 170-foot tug Anita M. Webb and other crewmembers testified that when Hurricane Katrina approached in August 2005, the vessel’s owner, Teco Barge Line Inc. of Metropolis, Tennessee, ordered the tug to remain on the Mississippi River some 55 miles south of New Orleans instead of proceeding upriver to safer harbor. According to testimony, Katrina’s winds reached hurricane force and the tug encountered sustained gusts as high as 145 miles per hour.

Crew testimony described a terrifying night: the tug was repeatedly spun by the powerful winds and pushed roughly a quarter-mile upriver until it finally ran aground. The intensity of the event left the crew convinced they might not survive; several crew members called their families to say goodbye. In its defense, the company maintained that it did not believe the hurricane posed a life-threatening risk to the vessel or crew. The court ultimately disagreed.

U.S. District Judge David Herndon concluded that the Anita M. was not designed or equipped to protect the crew from a storm of Katrina’s magnitude. That finding formed a central basis for the multimillion-dollar judgment in favor of Webb, who pursued damages for the lasting harm he says he suffered as a direct result of the company’s decision to keep the tug in the storm’s path.

Webb described a long-term decline in his mental health following the ordeal. He testified that he experiences recurrent flashbacks, heightened startle responses, persistent insomnia, episodes of agitation, and sudden outbursts of anger. He has struggled with hyperarousal and intrusive memories, symptoms commonly associated with PTSD. Webb also said the experience destroyed his marriage, left him with a sustained fear of the water, and forced him to give up pleasure boating—an activity he had formerly enjoyed. He told the court the event had driven him to suicidal thoughts.

The judge’s ruling and the award to Webb underline the serious responsibilities maritime employers have to protect crewmembers from known hazards. While maritime work carries inherent risks, the court found the Anita M. lacked the necessary design and equipment features to keep its crew safe during a major hurricane, and that the company’s decision-making exposed the crew to foreseeable peril.

Hurricane Katrina remains one of the most devastating natural disasters in recent U.S. history, with widespread loss of life and property across the Gulf Coast. The storm’s human toll and the legal aftermath continue to shape how courts and regulators assess vessel safety, evacuation decisions, and employer obligations in the face of extreme weather.

This judgment highlights the long-term human consequences that can follow traumatic maritime incidents. Beyond immediate physical danger, survivors may face years of psychological and relational harm, financial strain, and diminished quality of life. Webb’s case is a reminder that decisions made before and during a storm can have life-altering repercussions for seafarers and their families.

While no monetary award can erase the trauma Webb describes, the court’s decision serves both to compensate him for his losses and to reinforce the legal expectation that vessel operators must take reasonable steps to safeguard crew members when serious threats develop.