OceanGate faces a $50 million lawsuit for negligence in the Titan submersible tragedy near the Titanic wreck

A recent lawsuit sheds light on the harrowing experiences faced by those aboard the ill-fated Titan submersible, which tragically imploded in June 2023.

This $50 million lawsuit reveals the vessel’s troubled past and accuses OceanGate and its late CEO Stockton Rush of failing to disclose critical information about the submersible’s durability to French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, and the other passengers who embarked on the dive on June 18, 2023.

The lawsuit argues that both OceanGate and Rush were negligent in constructing the submersible, despite promoting an opportunity to see the Titanic

firsthand for $250,000 per ticket.
It claims that this negligence led to the Titan dropping its weights just 90 minutes into the voyage, suggesting an aborted dive attempt.

“While the exact cause of failure may never be determined, experts agree that the Titan’s crew would have realized what was happening,” the lawsuit, filed in King County, Washington, by Nargeolet’s family, states.

The lawsuit goes on to describe the terrifying realization that the crew must have had about their impending doom.

It suggests that the crew might have heard the crackling noises of the carbon fiber hull under the immense pressure of the water.

The crew lost communication and possibly power, descending further into the abyss with the full knowledge of the vessel’s irreversible failures, experiencing terror and mental anguish before the Titan ultimately imploded.

The suit criticizes the Titan’s “hip, contemporary, wireless electronics system,” pointing out that none of the controls would function without a constant power source and wireless signal.

It labels Rush, who operated the vessel on that fateful trip, as an “eccentric and self-styled ‘innovator'” in the deep-sea diving industry, naming his

estate as one of the defendants.
Following the disaster, both OceanGate and Rush faced backlash for the vessel’s faulty design.

In a CBS News interview months earlier, Rush had admitted, “We run the whole thing with this game controller.”
When asked about the seemingly makeshift components, he downplayed the concerns, assuring that critical parts like the pressure vessel were

professionally designed with input from Boeing, NASA, and the University of Washington.
However, he ignored warnings from a professional group in 2018 that OceanGate’s experimental design approach could lead to catastrophic outcomes.

The new lawsuit contends that Nargeolet, who was hired to provide commentary about the Titanic and had completed 37 dives to the wreckage site,

was unaware of many of the vessel’s flaws and shortcomings.

These issues were allegedly concealed from him and the other passengers, including Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman, and British billionaire Hamish Harding.

Had these issues been disclosed, Nargeolet would not have participated in the dive that began at around 8 a.m. on June 18 above the Titanic shipwreck site.

By 9:45 a.m., the vessel lost contact with its mothership, the Polar Prince.

OceanGate Expeditions waited eight hours to report the missing sub to the US Coast Guard, prompting a massive international search effort.

Ships from around the world joined the search, racing against time as the estimated oxygen supply dwindled.

The US Navy had detected a possible sound of the vessel imploding during its descent, but the search continued.

Tragic Discovery and Lawsuit’s Blame

After a frantic four-day search, a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) discovered Titan’s debris about 1,600 feet from the Titanic’s bow.
All five men aboard died instantly due to the “catastrophic implosion,” authorities confirmed.

The lawsuit blames this tragedy on the “persistent carelessness, recklessness, and negligence” of OceanGate and Rush.

While Nargeolet may have died doing what he loved, his death and the deaths of the other crew members were wrongful, the lawsuit asserts.

Seeking Answers and Accountability

Attorney Tony Buzbee, representing Nargeolet’s family, aims to uncover exactly how the disaster occurred, who was involved, and how such negligence was allowed.

Buzbee highlights that, despite earlier involvement in designing smaller versions of the Titan, both the University of Washington and Boeing have disclaimed any association with the submersible model that imploded.

Theories on the Implosion’s Cause

Various theories have emerged regarding the cause of the implosion.

Research lead Roberto Ballarini suggested that imperfections in the carbon fiber used for Titan’s hull might have caused micro-buckling, leading to the collapse.

Such small imperfections, undetectable before the dive, could have made the vessel vulnerable under intense pressure.
With the Titan now completely destroyed, the exact flaw may never be pinpointed, but the US Coast Guard continues to investigate the tragedy.

Ongoing Investigation

Board chair Jason Neubauer emphasized their collaboration with domestic and international partners to thoroughly understand the incident.
A key public hearing is scheduled for September to further explore the disaster’s causes and consequences.

TDPel Media

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