JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Another family of a sailor aboard a cargo ship that sunk after being caught in Hurricane Joaquin is suing the vessel’s owner.
The family of 19-year-old Jackie Jones Jr. filed the suit in federal court in Jacksonville on Monday, claiming the aging freighter “El Faro” was unsafe. It is the third suit filed by crew members’ families.
The family’s attorney Elizabeth Kagan says she has information the ship had corrosion problems.
The owner, Tote Maritime, has said it will not comment on individual lawsuits.
Kagan tells the Florida Times-Union the El Faro may have also been overloaded.
Federal investigators say the ship’s captain radioed in that the boat had lost engine power, was listing and taking on water. All 33 crew are believed to have died in the Oct. 1 sinking.
