The family of a French explorer who died during an infamous private voyage to the Titanic wreck site last year is suing OceanGate, the sea exploration firm that operated the submarine, arguing the company didn’t disclose problems with the sub before it imploded with five people inside.
Key Takeaways
- The family of Paul-Henri Nargeolet filed a lawsuit in Washington state accusing OceanGate of gross negligence and strict product liability, a claim suggesting the company knew the Titan submersible was unsafe, attorneys from the Buzbee Law Firm, which represents the family, announced Tuesday.
- The lawsuit seeks more than $50 million in damages.
- Nargeolet’s family alleges there were “key facts” that OceanGate and its founder Stockton Rush—who also died in the implosion—failed to disclose about the Titan’s condition and durability before leaving to visit the Titanic wreck site, including details about the vessel’s composition and components.
- The lawsuit criticizes the submersible’s “hip, contemporary” wireless electronics system as faulty and claims the controller, controls and gauges on the vessel would not work without a constant power source and wireless signal, which the vessel likely lost within 90 minutes of starting the dive.
- Nargeolet, an “experienced adventurer and explorer,” would not have been a passenger aboard the submersible if Rush disclosed “all the troubles” experienced with the submersible, which other OceanGate employees were also allegedly aware of, attorney Matt Shaffer said in a statement.
- OceanGate did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
What To Watch For
The Coast Guard will hold a public hearing about its investigation into the submersible’s implosion on Sept. 16. The hearing will cover “all aspects of the loss of the Titan,” according to the Coast Guard, including “pre-accident historical events, regulatory compliance, crewmember duties and qualifications” and emergency response, among other topics.
Surprising Fact
RMS Titanic Inc., the Georgia-based firm that holds the legal rights to salvage the Titanic site, placed a plaque honoring Nargeolet—referred to as “Mr. Titanic”—by the site last week. Nargeolet served as director of underwater research for RMS Titanic and visited the Titanic’s wreckage numerous times since 2010, the company said.
Key Background
OceanGate’s Titan submersible went missing in June last year after departing for a trip bound for the wreckage of the Titanic.
The sub’s disappearance triggered a dayslong search by the Coast Guard, which found debris indicating all five passengers—including Nargeolet, Rush, aviation mogul Hamish Harding and British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Sulemon—were killed in a “catastrophic” failure. Rush said in a 2021 interview he had “broken some rules” when designing the submersible by building it against industry standards while using carbon fiber and titanium.
Scientists at the Marine Technology Society, an organisation promoting the development of marine-based technology, reportedly criticised OceanGate in 2018 for failing to meet industry standards for vessel safety. OceanGate suspended all exploration and commercial operations weeks after the incident, after previously offering dives to the Titanic wreckage—which it had successfully visited twice—and to hydrothermal vents by Portugal.
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