Authorities Hope to Interview Previous Scuba Boat Passengers
Authorities conducting a criminal investigation into the deadly scuba diving boat fire that killed 34 people off the coast of Southern California plan to interview previous patrons of the boat company to determine what kind of safety information they were provided during trips, a law enforcement source said.
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The law can also be extended to an executive of a company that owns a vessel who engages in “fraud, neglect, connivance, misconduct, or violation of law” that takes a life. That is harder to prove and used less frequently, said attorney Kierstan Carlson, who advises maritime clients to expect a criminal investigation in the case of deaths.
A ship captain could be convicted if found to not have proper firefighting or safety equipment aboard or failing to have someone keeping watch.
“That means somebody in charge of the vessel, in charge of major operations,” Carlson said. “There are some cases where a captain will put a really junior person who is not sufficiently experienced in charge. That would also be a breach of the standard of care.”
While the manslaughter law was not widely used after being written in 1838 and beefed up in 1852, it has been used more frequently in the 21st century, Carlson said.
"Authorities Hope to Interview Previous Scuba Boat Passengers," by Stefanie Dazio and Brian Melley was published in the Associated Press on September 9, 2019.