On Tuesday, May 20, 2008, three men died at Port Everglades of apparent asphixiation. The three were exposed to a leak of argon gas onboard a ship, the Madeline. The workers affected had been unloading cargo from the ship. There was a container of argon in the hull of the ship. Argon is not necessarily toxic in and of itself but can displace the oxygen in the space if there is a confined space.

One worker headed in the direction of the container of argon within the hull. He fell down apparently overcome by the fumes of the colorless, odorless gas. His co-worker then followed to attempt a rescue. He also was overcome by the gas. The third worker did the same to attempt a rescue and the same thing happened; disaster.

This is an example of why there are safety rules and regulations for working in a confined space. Hickey Law Firm, P.A. (see www.hickeylawfirm.com) is an admiralty and maritime law firm which has represented people who work on ships and has represented the families of workers who have died while working in confined spaces. Our cases often involve Port Everglades. We OSHA has specific regulations for such work. We know these regulations and these rules. The firm is headed by maritime trial lawyer John H. (Jack) Hickey. His biography is below: CALL US TOLL FREE AT: 800.215.7117.

Board of Governors, The Florida Bar (2008- )

Past President, Dade County Bar Association (2003-2004)

Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer by The Florida Bar

Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer by the National Board of Trial Advocacy

Named by his peers as a Superlawyer in the area of Personal Injury in SuperLawyers.com (2006 to present)(top 5% of all lawyers)

Named by his peers as a “Legal Elite” in Florida Trend Magazine (2006) (top 1.7% of all lawyers)

Named by his peers as a “Top Lawyer in South Florida” in the areas of personal injury and maritime in the South Florida Legal Guide (2004 to present)

Listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, and Who’s Who in Emerging Leaders in America

Member of The Million Dollar Forum

Sustaining Member of the American Association for Justice (formerly ATLA)

Fellow and Lifetime Member of The Florida Bar Foundation

Lifetime Member of the Florida Council of Bar Association Presidents

Rated A/V by Martindale-Hubbell, the international directory of lawyers, a rating achieved by only 5% of attorneys. The rating indicates that the attorney “has reached the height of professional excellence” and is “recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity”.

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Born in Miami, Florida

B.A., magna cum laude, Florida State University, 1976 (Phi Beta Kappa)

J.D., Duke University School of Law, 1980

Admitted to The Florida Bar, 1980
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BACKGROUND:
Jack Hickey is a trial attorney. Since 1980, he has been trying personal injury and wrongful death cases in the areas of admiralty and maritime, railroad, medical malpractice, product liability, and general liability.

Hickey is Board Certified as a Civil Trial Lawyer by The Florida Bar and by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA). The NBTA is the only national certification program for trial attorneys and is accredited by the American Bar Association.

Hickey is rated A/V by Martindale-Hubbell (the international listing of attorneys, a rating achieved by only 5% of attorneys. The rating indicates that the attorney “has reached the height of professional excellence” and is “recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity”. He is also listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, and Who’s Who in Emerging Leaders in America. He has been chosen by other lawyers as a: “Top Lawyer in South Florida” in the areas of personal injury and maritime in the South Florida Legal Guide (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007); “Legal Elite” in Florida Trend Magazine(top 1.7% of attorneys) (2006, 2007); and Superlawyer in the area of personal injury in Superlawyers.com (2006 -2008).

Hickey is a member of The Florida Bar Board of Governors. The Board of Governors is the governing body of all 80,000 members of The Florida Bar, that is, every lawyer in Florida.

He is also a Past President of the Dade County Bar Association (DCBA) (2003 – 2004). The DCBA is the largest voluntary bar association in Florida.

Hickey also is a Lifetime Member of the Florida Council of Bar Association Presidents, a Fellow and Lifetime Member of The Florida Bar Foundation, and a Sustaining Member of the American Association for Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America).

Hickey was born in Miami and is conversant in Spanish. For the first 17 years of his career, he represented cruise lines, railroads, and other self-insured Defendants as well as insurance companies. 11 years ago, he made the transition to representing plaintiffs, and is a member of the Million Dollar Forum based on the cases in which he has obtained settlements or verdicts in excess of $1 Million. He started his career at Smathers & Thompson and went on to Hornsby & Whisenand, where he became a partner. In 1988, Hickey and The Honorable Gary R. Jones founded Hickey & Jones, P.A. In 1999, Judge Jones left and became a Federal Magistrate in the Middle District of Florida, and the firm changed its name to Hickey Law Firm, P.A.