SAN DIEGO (CNS) - The family of a 12-year-old girl fatally struck by a jet ski in Mission Bay filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit this week that faults the U.S. Coast Guard and Army Corps. of Engineers for allegedly failing to ensure conditions were safe for swimmers, paddleboarders and others.
Savannah Peterson suffered fatal injuries after she was struck by a jet ski traveling at high speeds on July 29, 2023, while she was paddleboarding in De Anza Cove.
The lawsuit filed Monday in San Diego federal court alleges the areas where jet skis and other watercraft operate should have been clearly separated from areas for swimmers and others by buoys, signage, or other demarcations. The lawsuit also claims additional safety patrols and safety-related signage could have prevented the death.
"The defendants failed to manage Mission Bay in a way that ensured the safety of patrons and/or warn them of the dangerous conditions therein," the complaint states.
A wrongful death lawsuit filed in state court by Peterson's family remains ongoing. Defendants in that suit include the city of San Diego and online marketplace OfferUp, which was used to rent out the jet ski used in the fatal incident.
Also named as a defendant in the state lawsuit is the jet ski operator, Arsanyous Refat Ghaly, who was criminally charged by local prosecutors. Ghaly pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and was sentenced to 230 days in jail, plus probation.
At a preliminary hearing held in Ghaly's criminal case, a police officer testified that data pulled from the jet ski indicated it was traveling between 47 and 53 mph at the time of the collision. Prosecutors contended the crash occurred in an area where watercraft operators are required to stay below 5 mph.
EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story stated that the county and San Diego Unified Port District were defendants in the state lawsuit. While both entities were initially named as defendants, they were dismissed from the case last year.
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