By The opinion
07 Aug 2024, 19:42 PM EDT
In June 2023, the submarine Titan, which was on an expedition to the remains of the Titanic, suffered a “catastrophic implosion”, killing all its crew.
More than a year after that moment, the family of French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, one of the five passengers who died on the Titan submarine last year, He sued OceanGate, the company that owns the submersible, for wrongful death and is seeking $50 million in damages.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday in Seattle, Washington, alleges that although Nargeolet was an “experienced adventurer and explorer” who had made several trips to visit the wreck of the Titanic in other submersibles, OceanGate and its founder, Stockton Rush, purposely failed to disclose defects and deficiencies in the vessel.
“We hope that through this lawsuit we can get answers for the family about exactly how this happened, who was involved and how they could have allowed it to happen,” Tony Buzbee, one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys, said in a statement.
The document also states that, Had Nargeolet known of the problems the submarine was experiencing, he would not have participated in the mission.
In June, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) released an update on its year-long investigation, finding that the Titan had been operating since 2021 without “being registered or certified in Canada or any other country.”
The danger of uncertified submarines was demonstrated on June 18, 2023 with the tragedy of the Titan, the world’s only submarine made of carbon fiber that was theoretically capable of diving to a depth of 4,000 meters.
A key public hearing as part of the inquiry is scheduled to take place in September.
According to the lawsuit, he said: “While the exact cause of the failure may never be determined, Experts agree that the Titan crew would have realized exactly what was happening.”
“Common sense indicates that the crew was perfectly aware that they were going to die, before they died,” the document continues.
The lawsuit goes on to say: “The crew may have heard the crackling sound of carbon fiber growing louder as the weight of the water pressed against the Titan’s hull. The crew lost communications and perhaps power as well. According to experts’ calculations, They would have continued to descend, fully aware of the ship’s irreversible failures, experiencing terror and mental anguish before the Titan finally imploded.”.
Keep reading:
– OceanGate suspends Titanic expeditions following Titan submarine accident.
– Debris recovered from Titan submarine may contain suspected human remains, US Coast Guard says