Key West Injury Lawyer Blog
A federal grand jury charged a Florida Keys boat captain in relation to a parasailing accident that resulted in the death of a woman and the injury of two children in 2022.
Daniel Couch, 52, was charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office with one count of seaman’s manslaughter. The charge stems from Memorial Day 2022 when Couch took out 33-year-old Supraja Alaparthi, her son, 10, and her 9-year-old nephew on a parasailing excursion in a 31-foot boat. Alaparthi died from her injuries and her nephew was severely injured. Her son suffered minor injuries, according to local media.
The family was already in the air around 5 p.m. on May 30, 2022, when a strong storm gust caused an issue, causing Couch and at least one other employee on the boat to lower the group back to the water. The National Weather Service had predicted high winds, heavy rain and thunderstorms before the group set out on the water. The gust was so strong that the “parasail also risked dragging the boat,” according to reporting from The Miami Herald. Couch did not steer the boat side-to-side or attempt another technique to lessen the wind underneath the parasail. Instead, he cut the cable tethering the parasail harness to the boat with a knife.
Couch allegedly told investigators he believed he would be able to pick up the family after they dropped to the water. Instead, the three were dragged with the parasail for miles before crashing into the Seven Mile Bridge. Following the crash, a fishing guide in a flats boat and two charter passengers rescued the family from the water and performed CPR. The guide took them to a nearby restaurant that first responders were using as a staging area where Alaparthi died.
Investigators with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Couch did not steer his boat under the bridge to release the three after they hit it and were trapped in the parasail.
In September 2022, Couch was charged with manslaughter by the Monroe County State Attorney’s Office. He pleaded not guilty in that case, which is still pending, reporters said in the article.
Leesfield & Partners
Leesfield & Partners is a Florida-based personal injury law firm with nearly five decades of experience representing injured clients and their grieving families. Our skilled trial attorneys have represented clients in boating accidents, medical negligence cases, cruise ship excursion accidents and premises liability cases. In premises liability, Leesfield & Partners has seen trip and fall, wrongful death, traumatic brain and paralysis-causing injuries take place at hotels, theme parks, airports, shopping malls, government properties and on cruise-ship-sanctioned activities like parasailing.
Since it first surged in popularity in the 1990s, Leesfield & Partners attorneys have been leading litigation experts in parasailing accident cases. Since then, the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, has handled numerous parasailing cases, including one that garnered widespread media attention following a deadly
In 2014, Florida passed a law that mandates specific requirements for parasailing operators, setting the first-ever statewide safety regulations for the parasailing industry. Much like jet ski rental companies, cruise ships and other tourist attractions available throughout Florida, skydiving companies have a duty to ensure equipment is properly maintained and that patrons and instructors alike have enough training. This duty of care stems from premises liability, a legal principle that refers to a business’ responsibility to maintain their premises and equipment in a condition that is reasonably safe for customers and employees. If there is a hazard or issue, then these businesses must take the necessary steps to amend it in a timely manner and warn customers of the potential for injury.
Previous Parasailing Cases
Leesfield & Partners previously represented a family through a wrongful death case against a parasailing operator. The firm obtained a $17 million recovery on behalf of the family for the death of their loved one.
Another parasailing wrongful death case resulted in a $15 million recovery.
A cruise-ship-sanctioned parasailing adventure was purchased by a mother and daughter while the two were on board their cruise ship. Once they were up in the air, however, an equipment tragically malfunctioned and sent them hurdling toward the water. The mother was killed and her daughter was left with a traumatic brain injury.
Leesfield & Partners obtained a $7.25 million settlement for the family in that case.
Previously, the firm represented a client who suffered brain damage following a parasailing incident in Florida. The firm obtained a $4.46 million recovery in that case.
A $2.6 million recovery was secured for a family whose loved one was killed in a parasailing incident.
Leesfield & Partners represented a woman who suffered brain damage after a parasailing incident at a resort. The firm obtained over $1.5 million in that case.
Another resort parasailing case ended tragically with the death of a family’s loved one. The firm obtained over $1.2 million for the grieving family in that case.
Other Air Sport Activities
n addition to parasailing, Leesfield & Partners has represented numerous clients in aviation and other air sport activity cases. Leesfield & Partners attorneys secured a $10 million recovery for a family in a wrongful death case.
In a case against an airline that involved the death of our client’s loved one, the firm secured over $8.5 million for the family.
Another tragic aviation case involving a death resulted in a $5.4 million recovery.
A private aviation disaster case was handled by Ira Leesfield the Founder and Managing Partner of the firm, and co-counsel, Mark A. Sylvester. The case involved the deaths of a pilot and his mother who were killed when their single-engine airplane crashed in severe weather. The plane’s manufacturer, a service facility, and the Federal Aviation Administration were named as defendants in this case. The FAA was named as a defendant because of the failure of their air traffic controllers, who are meant to give important weather information to pilots.
A settlement of over $2.8 million was secured in that case.
The firm obtained a $1.9 million recovery in a helicopter-involved case.
In a wrongful death case against Air Orlando, Leesfield & Partners attorneys obtained over $1.8 million for our grieving clients.
Another aviation case, which involved injuries to our client, was filed against the aircraft manufacturer. The firm obtained a $630,000 recovery in that case.
