All but five families of El Faro victims have now settled their wrongful death claims against the ship’s owner and operator.
Four new separately filed settlement agreements show the estates of Sylvester Crawford II, Carey Hatch, Louis M. Champa Jr., and Jeremie H. Riehm have settled their claims against TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico and TOTE Services. The settlement agreements show three of the families agreed to the same terms as prior settlements- $500,000 in pre-death pain and suffering and an “agreed upon” sum for economic loss. The court record pertaining to Champa does not give those specific terms, but says the settlement is “consistent with the prior settlements reached in this matter”.
FULL COVERAGE: El Faro sinking
Thirty-three people died when El Faro sank in Hurricane Joaquin in late 2015. The NTSB and Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation are both probing the sinking, in an effort to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
FULL COVERAGE: New information from NTSB investigators
The MBI is holding their third and final hearing session on the sinking in February in Jacksonville.
A total of twenty-eight families have now settled their federal lawsuits.
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