Number of lawsuits rise in whale-watching boat sinking that claimed 6 lives
VICTORIA — Survivors of the sinking of a whale-watching boat off British Columbia’s coast last year are recounting their harrowing escape from death as they swam for the light above the ocean.
Five Britons and one Australian died when all 27 aboard were tossed in the ocean on Oct. 25, 2015, after the Leviathan II was hit by a wave, tipped up and capsized.
Two couples are the latest to file civil lawsuits in Federal Court alleging negligence against the vessel’s owner, Jamie’s Whaling Station. At least 11 other survivors and several family members of the six people who died have also filed court action.
Robert Goodfellow and Marya Levin of North Vancouver allege in their lawsuit that they had to swim through oily water and rough seas to get away from the boat’s rotating propellers.