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The widow of a sailor who drowned during a boating accident has filed a lawsuit against the manufacturer of the vessel.  The sailor, Roger Stone, was the safety officer aboard the SV Cynthia Woods during an offshore race.  He is credited with saving the lives of two Texas A&M student sailors at the cost of his own.

His widow, Linda Stone has filed a lawsuit against the designer, manufacturer and a company that repaired the racing yacht on which her husband died.  The civil complaint, filed by Linda Stone’s attorney, claims Cape Fear Yacht Works, boat designer Bruce Marek, Payco Inc. and Galveston Yacht Service are not cooperating with investigations into the accident. The lawsuit, filed in district court in Galveston County, also claims there are flaws in the boat’s design, manufacture and marketing.

Read more about the lawsuit and circumstances surrounding it in two separate articles:

Wife of Man Killed in A&M Boat Accident Files Lawsuit - Houston Fox26
Hero sailor’s wife to sue over probe - Galveston County Daily News

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The Houston Chronicle reported today that Texas A&M deputy chancellor and general counsel, Jay Kimbrough, has promised a thorough investigation into what may have caused the keel to break off the sailing vessel CYNTHIA WOODS leading to its capsize and the death of one crew member.  The boat was donated to A&M by the school's biggest benefactor, George Marshall, and was built by a company that is owned by Mitchell's son, facts that Kimbrough assures will not influence the investigation.  The investigation, which is already underway, will include a search for and attempt to recover the boat's keel which lies somewhere beneath 80 to 120 feet of water at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, near Freeport, Texas.  The salvage company T & T Marine towed the vessel to shore and will be leading the search for its keel.

The challenge of locating and recovering the boat's keel merely hints at the complexity of investigating  maritime incidents.  Thorough investigation will require understanding not only the conditions and events immediately preceding the capsize, but also every potentially contributing factor leading up to it, beginning from the time the boat was originally constructed.  The loss of the boat's keel could be an indication of structural issues affecting not only the CYNTHIA WOODS, but other Cape Fear 38 sailboats as well.  Other factors that must be discovered and evaluated include the boat's maintenance history and sailing history, both of which may be documented in logs, service invoices, payment instruments, and other records.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or killed in a maritime accident, and you require the expertise of experienced investigators to unravel the complexity and find answers, the Texas maritime lawyers at Arnold & Itkin LLP can help.  Contact our Houston maritime law firm for a free initial consultation.

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Galveston, Texas sailor Roger Stone died saving the lives of fellow crew when the Sailing Vessel CYNTHIA WOODS capsized south of Freeport, Texas.  Five sailors were rescued by the Coast Guard after floating in the Gulf of Mexico following the capsize of their boat 26 hours earlier.

Stone, who was the Safety Officer aboard the boat which was participating in the Regata de Amigos race from Galveston to Veracruz, reportedly noticed water entering the hull and forced other crew on to the deck immediately prior to the capsize.  Early indications are that the boat's keel fell off causing the boat to rapidly take on water, capsize and sink.

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