Accidents happen all the time, but they’re even worse when lives are lost because of them. Unfortunately for Marlins pitcher, Jose Fernandez, and two of his friends, a boating accident last September ended their lives, sparking lawsuits. So far, two lawsuits have been formally filed against the estate of Jose Fernandez. Both of the lawsuits allege that Fernandez “owed his passengers a reasonable degree of care on the morning his boat crashed into a jetty.”
Accidents happen all the time, but they’re even worse when lives are lost because of them. Unfortunately for Marlins pitcher, Jose Fernandez, and two of his friends, a boating accident last September ended their lives, sparking lawsuits. So far, two lawsuits have been formally filed against the estate of Jose Fernandez. Both of the lawsuits allege that Fernandez “owed his passengers a reasonable degree of care on the morning his boat crashed into a jetty.”
The accident itself happened last September when the pitcher’s 32-foot boat crashed into the “Government Cut north jetty off South Beach” just before dawn. Tragically, Fernandez, a rising star on the Miami Marlins baseball team, and two of his friends, Eduardo Rivero and Emilio Macias, perished in the crash, stunning “South Florida and the Miami Marlins franchise.”
The lawsuits against the Fernandez estate were filed in Miami-Dade circuit court by relatives of Rivero and Macias, accusing Fernandez of negligence. Additionally, the lawsuits highlight the fact that Fernandez was “legally intoxicated while operating his vessel.” According to court documents, “a toxicology report released in October showed that Fernandez was legally drunk and also had cocaine in his system when he died.” So what do the families of Macias and Rivero hope to gain from the lawsuits? Well, according to attorney Christopher Royer, who is representing the families, each family “is seeking $2 million.”
However, it is still unclear whether Fernandez was actually behind the wheel at the time of the crash. Because of this, a lawyer for Fernandez and his family believes a settlement is “highly unlikely.” He himself has “long insisted that Fernandez was not piloting the boat at the moment of impact.” A witness who was on the phone with Fernandez at the time of the accident also claims he was not driving the boat when it crashed. The family’s lawyer has also admitted that the “pitcher’s estate is not worth as much as people assume.” According to him, the estate “does not exceed $2 million.”
The accident itself is still being investigated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and official responsibility for the accident has yet to be determined.
Sources:
Lawsuits Against Estate Of Jose Fernandez Shed No New Light On Fatal Boat Crash
Families Of Men Killed With Marlins Pitcher Jose Fernandez File Lawsuits
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