The family of a French explorer who died in a submersible implosion has filed a more than $50 million lawsuit, saying the crew experienced 鈥渢error and mental anguish鈥� before the disaster and accusing the sub鈥檚 operator of gross negligence.
Paul-Henri Nargeolet was among five people who died when the during 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.
Known as 鈥淢r. Titanic,鈥� Nargeolet participated in 37 dives to the most of any diver in the world, according to the lawsuit. He was regarded as one of the world鈥檚 most knowledgeable people about the famous wreck. Attorneys for his estate said in an emailed statement that the 鈥渄oomed submersible鈥� had a 鈥渢roubled history,鈥� and that OceanGate failed to disclose key facts about the vessel and its durability.
According to the lawsuit, the Titan 鈥渄ropped weights鈥� about 90 minutes into its dive, indicating the team had aborted or attempted to abort the dive.
鈥淲hile the exact cause of failure may never be determined, experts agree that the Titan鈥檚 crew would have realized exactly what was happening,鈥� the lawsuit states. 鈥淐ommon sense dictates that the crew were well aware they were going to die, before dying.鈥�
The lawsuit goes on to say: 鈥淭he crew may well have heard the carbon fiber鈥檚 crackling noise grow more intense as the weight of the water pressed on Titan鈥檚 hull. The crew lost communications and perhaps power as well. By experts鈥� reckoning, they would have continued to descend, in full knowledge of the vessel鈥檚 irreversible failures, experiencing terror and mental anguish prior to the Titan ultimately imploding.鈥�
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.
The suit also criticizes Titan鈥檚 鈥渉ip, 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.
Though OceanGate designated Nargeolet as a member of the crew, "many of the particulars about the vessel鈥檚 flaws and shortcomings were not disclosed and were purposely concealed,鈥� the attorneys, the Buzbee Law Firm of Houston, Texas, said in their statement.
Tony Buzbee, one of the attorneys on the case, said one of the suit's goals is to 鈥済et answers for the family as to exactly how this happened, who all were involved, and how those involved could allow this to happen.鈥�
Concerns were raised in the aftermath of the disaster about whether the Titan was doomed due to its unconventional design and its creator鈥檚 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.
The U.S. Coast Guard quickly convened a high-level investigation, which is ongoing. A that is part of the investigation is scheduled to take place in September.
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鈥檚, Newfoundland.
OceanGate CEO and cofounder Stockton Rush was operating the Titan when it imploded. The lawsuit describes Rush as 鈥渁n eccentric and self-styled 鈥榠nnovator鈥� in the deep-sea diving industry鈥� and names his estate as one of the defendants.
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.
The company that owns the is 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.
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's 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.
The lawsuit blames the implosion on the 鈥減ersistent carelessness, recklessness and negligence鈥� of Oceangate, Rush and others.
鈥淒ecedent Nargeolet may have died doing what he loved to do, but his death 鈥� and the deaths of the other Titan crew members 鈥� was wrongful,鈥� the lawsuit states.
Patrick Whittle And Holly Ramer, The Associated Press
