MIAMI, Florida (20 Oct 2001) -- The family of a crew member who died aboard the Wave Dancer dive boat when Hurricane Iris slammed into Belize this month has filed a $10 million lawsuit against the operator of the boat, alleging that the boat's captain ignored weather warnings and failed to properly safeguard passengers and crew. Twenty people -- including 17 members of the Richmond Dive Club -- died Oct. 9 when the Wave Dancer was tossed by high winds and rough waters as it was docked in a Belize inlet to escape the storm. Officials with Peter Hughes Inc., the operator of the dive boat, said that the mangrove forest was considered a safe place to dock and that unusual conditions led to the accident. Government officials and the lawsuit -- filed yesterday in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court in Florida -- said that the Wave Dancer crew threw a "hurricane party" as Iris was bearing down on the area and that passengers and some crew members were not instructed to wear life jackets or take safety precautions. Officials also said the boat was improperly tied to the dock with only a few lines. | |
The lawsuit contends that Eloisa Johnson-Hall, a crew member who died, wanted to leave the boat when it docked but was told that she would be fired if she did so. Her relatives contend in the lawsuit that the boat's captain and crew disabled radios so that divers could get one last chance to get into the water without fearing the storm. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORK |
