Last Summer’s Deadly Boat Crash off of Castle Island Case Gets even more Complicated

Last July, a boat – the Make it Go Away –  crashed into a 40 foot day marker off of Castle Island and left several people injured and one woman dead.  The case involving the South Boston (Seaport) man who was driving the boat, Ryan Denver, has been anything but standard.

Back in November, Denver asked a federal judge to limit how much he would have to pay out for any lawsuits by invoking a federal law dating to 1851 meant to deal with pirates and bad storms.  Basically the law limits the amount a person can sue a ship owner for to the value of the ship itself.  The judge did, in fact, grant a $50,000 limit on potential lawsuit damages.

Universal Hub is reporting that four of the seven passengers of the Make it Go Away and the parents of the woman who drowned wants the judge to overturn this decision re: $50,000 limit on damages. The passengers and the federal government have filed briefs explaining why the judge should lift the limit in this case. They believe Denver was responsible for the crash and even admitted to the fact he was behind the wheel of the boat.

Denver responded to the briefs and basically refuses to takes responsibility for anything. He also  blames everyone else involved (but himself) including the woman who drowned after the crash and a driver of boat who was in the area but, according to Denver, didn’t help.

The US Attorney’s office representing the Coast Guard is also looking for $300,000 in damages to Day Marker 5 which is the marker the Make it Go Away crashed into.

Phew! 

Universal Hub does an amazing job breaking down the complicated and inner working of this case. You can read all the details here. 

Denver still faces criminal charges including involuntary manslaughter, three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, for the collision that caused the death of Jeanica Julce.

Stay tuned.