A second lawsuit against organizers of a Key West powerboat race has been filed in the 2011 death of a participant, says Frenkel & Frenkel.
The uncle of Jeffrey Tillman, a man who died along with Robert Morgan when their 46-foot catamaran flipped and crashed in Key West Harbor during a championship offshore powerboat race in 2011, filed a lawsuit against the race organizers. Tillman and Morgan were the third participants to die in the 2011 race, and a lawsuit is already pending regarding the death of Joey Gratton, the other person killed that year. Lawsuit Details William Tillman seeks over $15,000 in damages from Super Boat International Productions, Inc. and the president of the company, John Carbonell, claiming that the defendants’ rescue efforts were poorly coordinated and that rescuers were improperly equipped. Court documents claim that it took too long to pull Jeffrey Tillman from the overturned catamaran, and he drowned as a result. In addition, the lawsuit claims that Morgan, 74, had a heart condition, and that the catamaran did not meet industry safety standards regarding the canopy and cockpit. Second Incident The accident involving Morgan and Tillman, which happened in front of thousands of fans, was the second to occur during the 2011 race. Gratton died when his 850-class catamaran rolled over and partially sank. Gratton’s partner survived that crash with minor injuries. All three deaths were ruled accidental and no criminal charges were filed against the race organizers. Additional Safety Measures Because of the tragedies that occurred during the 2011 race, additional safety measures were put in place for the 2012 Key West World Championship. Canopy-equipped race teams were required to develop and share exit strategies with race officials in order to qualify for the contest. There were no major injuries during the 2012 race. When negligence is suspected as the cause or a contributing factor in an accident that causes injury or death, a wrongful death claim may be in order. Contact Dallas-Fort Worth lawyers at Frenkel & Frenkel to schedule a free initial consultation regarding an accident where injuries may have been caused or worsened by someone’s negligence.
