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The family of a French explorer who died in a submersible implosion has filed a more than $50 million lawsuit, saying the crew experienced \u201cterror and mental anguish\u201d before the disaster and accusing the sub\u2019s operator of gross negligence.<\/p>\n
Paul-Henri Nargeolet was among five people who died when the\u00a0Titan submersible imploded<\/a>\u00a0during a voyage to the famed Titanic wreck site in the North Atlantic in June 2023. No one survived the trip aboard the experimental submersible owned by OceanGate, a company in Washington state that has since suspended operations.<\/p>\n Known as \u201cMr. Titanic,\u201d Nargeolet participated in 37 dives to\u00a0the Titanic site,<\/a>\u00a0the most of any diver in the world, according to the lawsuit. He was regarded as one of the world\u2019s most knowledgeable people about the famous wreck. Attorneys for his estate said in an emailed statement that the \u201cdoomed submersible\u201d had a \u201ctroubled history,\u201d and that OceanGate failed to disclose key facts about the vessel and its durability.<\/p>\n According to the lawsuit, the Titan \u201cdropped weights\u201d about 90 minutes into its dive, indicating the team had aborted or attempted to abort the dive.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile the exact cause of failure may never be determined, experts agree that the Titan\u2019s crew would have realized exactly what was happening,\u201d the lawsuit states. \u201cCommon sense dictates that the crew were well aware they were going to die, before dying.\u201d<\/p>\n The lawsuit goes on to say: \u201cThe crew may well have heard the carbon fiber\u2019s crackling noise grow more intense as the weight of the water pressed on Titan\u2019s hull. The crew lost communications and perhaps power as well. By experts\u2019 reckoning, they would have continued to descend, in full knowledge of the vessel\u2019s irreversible failures, experiencing terror and mental anguish prior to the Titan ultimately imploding.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for OceanGate declined to comment on the lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday in King County, Washington. The defendants must respond to the complaint in the coming weeks, court papers state. The lawsuit describes Nargeolet as an employee of OceanGate and a crew member on the Titan.<\/p>\n The suit also criticizes Titan\u2019s \u201chip, contemporary, wireless electronics system, and states that none of the controller, controls or gauges would work without a constant source of power and a wireless signal.\u201d<\/p>\n Though OceanGate designated Nargeolet as a member of the crew, \u201cmany of the particulars about the vessel\u2019s flaws and shortcomings were not disclosed and were purposely concealed,\u201d the attorneys, the Buzbee Law Firm of Houston, Texas, said in their statement.<\/p>\n Tony Buzbee, one of the attorneys on the case, said one of the suit\u2019s goals is to \u201cget answers for the family as to exactly how this happened, who all were involved, and how those involved could allow this to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n Concerns were raised in the aftermath of the disaster about whether the Titan was doomed due to its unconventional design and its creator\u2019s refusal to submit to independent checks that are standard in the industry. Its implosion also raised questions about the viability and future of private deep-sea exploration.<\/p>\n The U.S. Coast Guard quickly convened a high-level investigation, which is ongoing. A\u00a0key public hearing<\/a>\u00a0that is part of the investigation is scheduled to take place in September.<\/p>\n The Titan made its last dive on June 18, 2023, a Sunday morning, and lost contact with its support vessel about two hours later. After a search and rescue mission that drew attention around the world, the wreckage of the Titan was found on the ocean floor about 984 feet (300 meters) off the bow of the Titanic, about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John\u2019s, Newfoundland.<\/p>\n OceanGate CEO and cofounder Stockton Rush was operating the Titan when it imploded. The lawsuit describes Rush as \u201can eccentric and self-styled \u2018innovator\u2019 in the deep-sea diving industry\u201d and names his estate as one of the defendants.<\/p>\n In addition to Rush and Nargeolet, the implosion killed British adventurer Hamish Harding and two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood.<\/p>\n The company that owns the\u00a0salvage rights to the Titanic<\/a>\u00a0is in the midst of its first voyage to the wreckage site in years. Last month, RMS Titanic Inc., a Georgia-based firm, launched its first expedition to the site since 2010 from Providence, Rhode Island.<\/p>\n Nargeolet was director of underwater research for RMS Titanic. He was part of an expedition to visit the Titanic site in 1987, shortly after its location was discovered, and had supervised the salvage of innumerable Titanic artifacts, the lawsuit states. His estate\u2019s attorneys described him as a seasoned veteran of underwater exploration who would not have participated in the Titan expedition if the company had been more transparent.<\/p>\n The lawsuit blames the implosion on the \u201cpersistent carelessness, recklessness and negligence\u201d of Oceangate, Rush and others.<\/p>\n \u201cDecedent Nargeolet may have died doing what he loved to do, but his death \u2014 and the deaths of the other Titan crew members \u2014 was wrongful,\u201d the lawsuit states.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nRecommended Newsletter:<\/strong> CEO Daily provides key context for the news leaders need to know from across the world of business. Every weekday morning, more than 125,000 readers trust CEO Daily for insights about\u2013and from inside\u2013the C-suite. Subscribe Now<\/a>.<\/div>\n