Crewman files suit over dive-boat fire

LOS ANGELES — A crew member who was aboard the Conception when it caught fire and sank on Labor Day, killing 34 people, is suing the dive boat’s owners.

Ryan Sims claims in a lawsuit filed Sept. 12 that the Conception’s owners were negligent in their failure to properly train crew members, give adequate safety and medical equipment and provide safety rules, among other claims.

According to the lawsuit, Sims was awakened by loud noises and realized a fire had broken out and was spreading fast. In an effort to escape the fire, Sims jumped from the top deck, breaking his leg in three places and injuring his back and neck, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit lists Truth Aquatics Inc., Worldwide Diving Adventures and the Conception’s owner, Glen Fritzler, as defendants, according to records from Ventura County Superior Court. Sims is seeking punitive damages as well as attorney fees and medical costs from his injuries.

The suit signals the beginning of a potentially long legal battle for the owners of the Conception, who have already taken steps to protect themselves from liability.

Less than a week after the inferno, attorneys for Fritzler and his wife, Dana, filed a petition citing the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851, asking a judge to eliminate their financial liability or lower it to an amount equal to the post-fire value of the boat, or $0.

Sims was one of five crew members asleep on the deck. According to a preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report, one crew member was awakened by a noise and saw fire rising from the salon compartment below.

He alerted the other crew members, and they attempted to reach the passengers sleeping below deck.

Unable to reach the lower part of the boat, the crew jumped overboard. The survivors made their way to a nearby vessel, the Grape Escape, to call for help. Some of the crew returned to the Conception to look for survivors, but none was found.