Tommy Gene Keener v. Transworld Drilling Company

The appellant, Tommy Gene Keener, was employed during the summer of 1969 as a rotary helper on a fixed stationary drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico. This job required him to work in “hitches” of seven days, followed by seven days off. Before completing his third hitch of employment, Keener allegedly suffered an injury to his knee while working on the drilling platform. Subsequently he brought an action against his employer and others under the Jones Act and General Maritime ' Law. The District Court denied Keener’s motion for summary judgment in his favor on the issue of whether Keener…