[h=5]Widow Blames Scuba Gear for Death of National Geographic Filmmaker Wes Skiles
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WEST PALM BEACH (CN) -
Well-known National Geographic filmmaker Wesley Skiles drowned while shooting underwater because his Dive Rite scuba gear malfunctioned, his widow claims in Palm Beach County Court. Terri Skiles claims that Dive Rite knew its oxygen monitoring system had a propensity to malfunction because it had been recalled multiple times, but Dive Rite ignored "serious quality control issues" and tampered with the scuba equipment evidence after the fatality...
Skiles says her husband's death could have been prevented: "In the years preceding the incident, Dive Rite was aware of serious quality control issues with the 02ptima FX rebreather. In fact, Hires was warned several times that because of the hasty manner in which the 02ptima FX rebreather was being assembled, the electronics and oxygen sensors on the 02ptima FX rebreather were being damaged by unknown sources of moisture leading to catastrophic failures, and that such failures would occur in such a way as to give the diver absolutely no warning of the failure...
Terry Skiles seeks damages for wrongful death, deceptive trade, conspiracy to spoliate evidence, negligent spoliation of evidence, breach of warranty, costs and funeral expenses...