Deepwater Horizon Widows Seek Compensation For Pain And Suffering

By Miles Wolf Tamboli - Talk Radio News

Shelley Anderson and Natalie Roshto, the wives of two men killed in the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig explosion, said during a hearing with the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee that BP should be required to compensate the affected families for non-economic losses incurred in the disaster, such as loss of care, companionship and comfort.

The Deepwater Horizon widows made their point clear: Economic compensation is not enough. 

“It’s not just a job,” said Mrs. Anderson. “His job is a husband, and his job is a father too … I’d give it all back to have him come home even if he was jobless.”

The Death on the High Seas Act, passed in 1920, limits responsible parties’ liability to pecuniary damages such as burial costs and financial support. There have been numerous calls for its repeal in the wake of the massive oil spill off the Gulf Coast.

“Not to recognize pain and suffering - if someone is working at sea or if someone is working on land - strikes me as being incredulous,” asserted Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.).

“Now I have to make sure that I’m giving Blaine the support of both parents - a father and a mother,” added Roshto; “I celebrated Father’s Day this year … now I am the mother and the father.”