The woman says she swallowed fuel and sea water after the seaplane she was flying in hit a boat in Vancouver Harbour.
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A California woman is suing Harbour Air over injuries she says she suffered two years ago when the float plane she was in collided with a boat during takeoff in Vancouver Harbour.
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Katherine Trivino, who says she swallowed jet fuel and contaminated sea water in addition to hurting her ankle, neck and back in the 2024 crash, is seeking damages against the float plane company and the boat owner and its operator, both unnamed, in a lawsuit filed in B.C. Supreme Court.
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She had booked a sightseeing flight on the first day of a three-week B.C. holiday, according to the claim.
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Sunrise
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The Transportation Safety Board, which said on Tuesday it is still investigating the accident, said there were five passengers and a pilot on the de Havilland Beaver float plane when it collided with a pleasure boat carrying seven passengers and a driver on June 8, 2024.
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“The aircraft became momentarily airborne, struck the boat, and then settled in the water in a partially submerged condition,” according to the lawsuit.
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Videos posted online at the time showed the plane skipping over the top of the boat and ripping off its windshield before slamming nose-first into the harbour.
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Before the plane began moving, the pilot was warned by radio of a boat in its takeoff path and to use discretion, the lawsuit said.
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Trivino’s seat on the plane was on the side of the collision and she saw the boat in the plane’s path, according to the claim.
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She and the other occupants got out of the plane before it sank and were helped by first responders.
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“The accident has caused and continued to cause serious personal injury, loss and damage” to Trivino, the lawsuit said.
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In addition to her other injuries, her shins were bruised and cut and she suffers gastrointestinal illness, shock, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, cognitive difficulties and a fear of flying, the claim states.
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She is seeking damages for pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life, as well as for lost earnings and care costs.
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Listed as a defendant is the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, which has responsibility for the harbour.
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The lawsuit says the “seaplane zone” in Coal Harbour, where planes take off and land, doesn’t have buoys or other navigational aids setting out its boundaries, as is the case in other harbours, including Victoria Harbour.
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Trivino is suing the port authority for negligence in its duty of care to passengers by failing to install such markers or to manage or separate boat traffic from the path of departing and landing planes in the seaplane zone.
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She is also alleging Harbour Air is liable for the negligence of its pilot, which includes failing to look out for boats or to abort the takeoff, and that the boat operator was negligent for being in the seaplane zone. The boat owner is named as a defendant for being liable for the operator’s actions.
