Couple sues travel company for $5M after being abandoned at sea during Hawaii snorkeling trip
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA: Alexander Burckle and Elizabeth Webster, a newly married couple, claim they were abandoned in the ocean during one of Maui Sail company's snorkeling trips at Lanai Island. They are suing the travel company for $5 million over the alleged neglect.
The incident happened in September 2021. Burckle and Webster claimed to have "feared that drowning was imminent" as they faced waves up to eight feet high. The perilous situation made them realize that swimming to the island of Lanai, in Hawai, was their only way to survive, as per Daily Mail.
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What happened during the trip?
The couple went on a trip from Lahaina Harbor in Maui, along with 42 other passengers. They were told the boat would be anchored in one location for an hour while they went snorkeling. During this period, the couple swam out into the ocean. However, they were caught up in turbulent waves and were unable to make it back to the boat even after fighting back the waves for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, the boat deserted the duo and took off. Luckily, the abandoned couple remembered the tour guide's instructions and started to make their way to the island of Lanai. The duo reached back at the island safely, though in bad shape after fighting off the waves.
What does the lawsuit claim?
The lawsuit also claims that the duo used many traditional methods to get rescued, including writing 'SOS' and 'HELP' on the island's sand. Another shocking revelation in the suit is that when Webster contacted Sail Maui at around 1.15 pm, three hours after they'd gone missing, the company admitted they did not notice anyone was missing from the tour, claiming they counted exactly 44 people both ways.
Jared Washkowitz, the couple's lawyer, claimed, "It can be really rough water even for people that are experienced in the ocean, much less visitors who may not have any ocean experience or especially not have experience in Hawaiian waters. They spent a lot of time in the water and if they weren't young, healthy people who were athletic, they probably would've drowned." Meanwhile, the duo was found by local Lanai residents, identified as RJ and Shra Sanches, who gave them water and phones. By the time Burckle and Webster made their way to the island's shore, they were "fatigued and dehydrated," per the lawsuit.