The family of Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a French explorer who died in the Titan submersible implosion, has filed a lawsuit seeking over $50 million, accusing the operator of gross negligence and claiming that the crew experienced “terror and mental anguish” before their deaths.
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Nargeolet was one of the five passengers who died when the submersible imploded during a June 2023 expedition to the Titanic wreck site. The submersible was owned by OceanGate, which has ceased operations since the implosion. According to the Associated Press, Nargeolet, aka “Mr. Titanic,” held the record for most dives to the site as he participated 37 times. Due to his recognition as a Titanic expert, his estate’s attorneys claimed that the submersible had a troubling history and accused OceanGate of failing to disclose critical information about the vessel’s integrity, the Associated Press reported.
Additionally, the lawsuit reveals that about 90 minutes into the dive, the Titan reportedly dropped weights, suggesting an attempted aborted mission. “While the exact cause of failure may never be determined, experts agree that the Titan’s crew would have realized exactly what was happening. Common sense dictates that the crew were well aware they were going to die before dying,” the lawsuit explained.
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It continued to say that the crew might have heard “the carbon fiber’s crackling noise growing more intense as the weight of the water pressed on the submersible’s hull” and lost communication before the implosion.
By experts’ reckoning, they would have continued to descend, in full knowledge of the vessel’s irreversible failures, experiencing terror and mental anguish prior to the Titan ultimately imploding
The lawsuit was filed in King County, Washington, and representatives from OceanGate did not release a statement. OceanGate CEO and co-founder Stockton Rush, who was piloting the Titan, is named in the lawsuit, which describes him as an “eccentric and self-styled ‘innovator’ in the deep-sea diving industry.” Other victims of the implosion included British adventurer Hamish Harding and Pakistani nationals Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood.