The families of the two men killed with Jose Fernandez are suing his estates for $2 million each. (AP) The legal drama surrounding the boating accident that claimed the life of Miami Marlins star Jose Fernandez is just getting started.
According to the Miami Sun-Sentinel, the parents of 25-year-old Eduardo Rivero and 27-year-old Emilio Jesus Macias, who were killed along with Fernandez in the early morning hours of Sept. 25, are filing negligence and personal injury lawsuits in Miami against his estate, with each seeking $2M.
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Attorney Christopher Royer, who is representing the families of both men, says that he filed a claim on behalf of Rivero’s family on Friday. He’s expected to do the same on behalf of Macias’ family on Monday.
“The Rivero and Macias families are deeply scarred by the loss of their sons,” Royer said in a news release Friday. “We remain open to a settlement and are hopeful a prompt resolution can be achieved to spare these families, and that of Jose Fernandez too, from any additional suffering.”
Ralph Fernandez, the attorney representing Fernandez’s family, is on record stating that a settlement is “highly unlikely” in the short-term. That’s in part due to the impending birth of Fernandez’s baby. Fernandez and his girlfriend announced they were expecting just days before the accident, which has added another layer of sadness to the already tragic circumstances.
The boat carrying Jose Fernandez, Eduardo Rivero and Jesus Macias crashed into a jetty off Miami Beach. (AP) It’s also noted that the crash investigation headed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has not been completed. That will be another key piece to the puzzle as they attempt to determine whether or not Fernandez was driving at the time of the accident. The toxicology report stated that Fernandez had cocaine and alcohol in his system at the time of the September crash, which makes his position on the boat vital to the pending lawsuits.
The Fernandez family attorney says he’s confident the investigation will reveal Fernandez was not driving the boat at the time of the crash. At this time there’s no timetable for when the final report will be filed.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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