A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed by the family of one of the victims of the Titan submersible, presenting serious allegations against OceanGate for gross negligence.
French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, one of the five passengers aboard the OceanGate vessel when it catastrophically failed on June 18, 2023, is at the center of this legal action. The lawsuit, filed by Nargeolet’s family, seeks $50 million in damages.
Other victims included Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate, British tycoon Hamish Harding, and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood along with his 19-year-old son, Sulaiman Dawood. The group had embarked on a journey to view the Titanic wreckage.
The search for the missing submersible began the day after the incident, with the US Coast Guard discovering debris on June 22.
According to the lawsuit filed on August 6, OceanGate is accused of severe negligence. It outlines several critical events leading up to the submersible’s implosion, including an attempt to abort the dive by releasing weights 90 minutes into the descent. This act suggests the crew may have been aware of severe issues.
The lawsuit asserts that while the precise cause of the failure may remain unknown, it is widely believed that the crew realized the grave situation they were in. It also describes how the crew might have heard increasing noises from the carbon fiber structure under pressure, and lost communication and possibly power.
Experts suggest that the crew continued their descent fully aware of the vessel’s critical failures, experiencing intense fear and mental distress before the implosion occurred.
Nargeolet, who had previously explored the Titanic wreck, is said to have been unaware of critical information regarding the submersible’s durability. The lawsuit claims that had he been informed, he might have chosen not to participate in the expedition.
The lawsuit concludes by stating that although Nargeolet was pursuing his passion, his death, along with the deaths of the other crew members, was wrongful.
OceanGate is expected to respond to these allegations in the near future.
LADbible Group has reached out to OceanGate for a statement.