TORONTO — The family of Keith White, the 34-year-old London, Ont. man who died tragically after falling off of a party boat in to Lake Ontario in June, say they plan to pursue legal action.
White’s body was recovered from Humber Bay on July 1, after he fell off the Mariposa Cruise ship “Northern Spirit” into Lake Ontario at about 7:30 p.m. on June 13 during a party.
Police said at the time they believed the man fell about seven metres from the upper deck.
READ MORE: Body found in Humber Bay is missing man Keith White, who fell off party boat
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“Our family had serious concerns with the safety on board and lack of response from the ship and crew,” said Keith’s sister Crystal White in an email to Global News on Tuesday, adding that the company failed to “attempt a rescue for our brother.”
“Our family has engaged legal services … we hope this lawsuit and the Transportation Safety Board review will improve safety onboard these boats and spare other families what we have had to endure.”
Friends and family had said at the time that White was healthy, in good shape and certified as a lifeguard.
The water temperature at the time was about 9 C and hypothermia can set in at that temperature within 10 minutes.
“We are devastated as the permanence of our loss is irrefutable now,” said Crystal White in July.
“But Keith has left a tremendous hole in our hearts and we hope and pray no other family has to go through such a senseless and avoidable tragedy. There needs to be accountability to the public and our family when there are so many unanswered questions still.”
With files from Cindy Pom, Valerie Laillet and The Canadian Press
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