JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (MyFoxBoston.com) - A lawsuit seeking $100 million in damages has been filed against the company that owned the cargo ship that sank during Hurricane Joaquin.
The family of El Faro crew member Lonnie Jordan filed the suit; Jordan was one of 33 people who died when the ship went down somewhere off the Bahamas during Hurricane Joaquin. The suit also names the captain of El Faro, who also died.
Jordan's estate said the company should be held accountable for putting the ship in the path of Hurricane Joaquin earlier this month
"It's not just the negligence of these people and putting the ship on the water that was clearly not sea-worthy. No doubt about it. Shouldn't have been there. Too old," said Willie Gary, the attorney representing the family.
Two men from Massachusetts were on board, Keith Griffin and Jeffrey Matthias. Also killed was Mariette Wright, who's mother lives in Brockton.
The owners of El Faro insist the captain had a "sound plan" to avoid Hurricane Joaquin, a plan that only unraveled when the ship's main propulsion stopped working. The cargo ship was stuck out in the ocean, right in the path of the Category 4 hurricane.
The Coast Guard called off its search for the ship after one week. They have found wreckage, but still haven't located the ship itself, with the ocean up to 15,000 feet deep in areas where they are searching.
Cox Media Group
