Jones Act Maritime Lawyer : Houston Jones Act & Maritime Injury Lawyer & Attorney : Arnold & Itkin Law Firm : Offshore Injury, Maritime Law : Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida

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 Galveston County Daily News reported in its article Sailboat in deadly capsizing repaired before that the SV Cynthia Woods keel was repaired in March 2007 after the sailboat ran aground.  In that grounding, the vessel suffered more than $1,800 in damage according to records.  The sailboat's keel was also damaged in another accidental grounding in 2006.  Damage to the keel and hull required $1,862 in repairs after the March 2007 grounding which was significant enough to separate the keel from the boat at both the front and back.  Some have questioned whether the boat had been adequately maintained following the prior groundings.

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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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