A civil lawsuit recently filed in a Connecticut court blames the death of an American tourist in Virgin Islands waters last year on rough seas and the boat owners’ negligence.
Robert Speranza, a 73-year-old American, was a passenger aboard the 70-foot powerboat Stew’s Special on Aug. 16, 2011 when the boat was hit by a large wave.
Mr. Speranza fell overboard and was later pronounced dead. His wife Barbara Speranza filed a lawsuit in Connecticut’s Bridgeport Superior Court on March 7 accusing the boat’s owners, Stew Leonard and his son Thomas Leonard, of reckless and negligent behaviour, according to the Stamford Advocate newspaper.
According to a statement issued by Stew Leonard after the accident, the boat was struck by a “rogue wave about 12- to 15-feet high” as the boat was passing through VI waters on its way to the United States Virgin Islands.
The lawsuit alleges that the boat was being operated at high speeds in dangerous seas and that the defendants ignored a small craft advisory when they went out the day of the accident, according to the Stamford Advocate.
See the March 15, 2012 edition for full coverage.