Tragic Titanic Sub Accident Stems from Ignored Safety Warnings

The recent, tragic incident that occurred aboard OceanGate’s submarine, the Titan, where five people were killed due the catastrophic loss of the vessel’s pressure chamber, brings light to severe issues involving negligence, wrongful death, and waivers designed to deter lawsuits brought in response to gross negligence. As a result, the victims’ families are now speaking with wrongful death attorneys to find out more on bringing gross negligence claims against the company responsible.

Previous Warnings Over Failed Safety Standards

There were reportedly a number of warning signs and questions that the company had faced in previous years, i.e. evidence potentially linking the company to gross negligence, long before the accident that took five lives. These concerns included reports from an employee who was allegedly fired for raising red flags regarding the depths that the sub could travel to, as well as a letter from the Marine Technology Society warning the company that it was misleading the public by claiming that the Titan itself met “basic industry safety standards” when it did not. The perception amongst those in the industry was that this was a “risky” endeavor – a tragedy waiting to happen.

As a result, there is no question that the company was put on notice that they failed to meet basic industry standards so as to ensure public safety, all of which would contribute to a court finding that negligence was involved in this tragic incident. Specifically, the safety complaints made by the previous employee concerned the sub being allegedly incapable of descending to the depths advertised to consumers. Subsequently, that employee – who was a submersible pilot responsible for the safety of the crew and clients – refused to greenlight tests of the vessel, and was fired. He then alleged that he was wrongfully terminated as a whistleblower.

Waivers

The passengers aboard OceanGate’s Titan signed waivers agreeing that their trip could ultimately result in injury or death. Still, these waivers do not hold up against egregious conduct and gross negligence, defined as reckless or wanton conduct that affects someone else, and the case for gross negligence is only strengthened by the long record of warnings and concerns received by the company concerning this vessel.

 Contact Our Macon, Georgia Wrongful Death Attorneys with Questions

For some, litigation isn’t always about damages; some individuals choose to file lawsuits in order to learn what happened to their loved ones and obtain justice on their behalf.

The Macon wrongful death attorneys at the Law Offices of Buzzell, Welsh & Hill focus on holding those parties responsible for tragedies like this. Contact our injury and wrongful death attorneys today to find out more.

Sources:

news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/doomed-submersible-waivers-not-enough-to-ward-off-lawsuits

newrepublic.com/post/173802/missing-titanic-sub-faced-lawsuit-depths-safely-travel-oceangate