The family of a French researcher who died in OceanGate's Titan submarine in 2023 is suing the company for $50 million. The lawsuit claims that OceanGate is directly responsible for the passengers' suffering and for failing to disclose the full extent of the risk. This was reported by ExtremeTech.
Paul-Henri Narjole was one of the five people who perished in the submarine. He was a French ocean explorer and Titanic expert. His family filed a lawsuit against OceanGate, accusing the company of wrongful death.
"The catastrophic implosion that claimed Nargeolet’s life was due directly to the persistent carelessness, recklessness and negligence of OceanGate, Rush and other defendants in their design, construction and operation of Titan," the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit also states that although the exact cause of the submarine explosion cannot be determined, experts agree that the personnel were aware of their deaths before they occurred.
Among other things, they point to the Titan's "state-of-the-art wireless electronic system" and the fact that none of the controllers and sensors inside the submarine would work without a constant power supply and wireless signal.
One of the controllers used for control was a $30 Logitech F710 Gamepad, which was connected wirelessly.
Nevertheless, there are those who are convinced that the cause is not the electronic system or controllers. According to some experts, the OceanGate personnel died because of a problem with the carbon fiber hull, which Rush allegedly bought from Boeing at a discount after the material had reached its "aviation shelf life."