The owner of the Lockport Cave boat tour that capsized last summer, killing one rider, intends to sue the city for making “derogatory and inflammatory” public statements about the business.
Hydraulic Race, the entity behind the attraction, filed a notice of claim with the city last year. The Buffalo News obtained the document late last week through a Freedom of Information Law request.
“The City of Lockport misrepresented Hydraulic and its officers to the public and the media, making deceptive and/or misleading statements and documentation, acting in bad faith to deprive and/or frustrate claimants’ rights,” the notice reads in part.
The notice does not cite specific examples and Thomas Callahan, co-owner of the attraction, did not respond to a message seeking further comment.
Eighteen people who were on the boat when it capsized June 12 have notified the city of their plans to sue over the incident that left one dead and 11 other riders injured. The estate of the man who drowned also has lodged a notice against the city.
Those filings claim the city and other entities failed to regulate the Lockport Cave business and should have known it was unsafe.
Several lawyers for the riders also have said they intend to sue Hydraulic Race over its responsibility for the incident and one attorney found the tone of the company’s legal filing concerning.
“They’re more concerned about themselves and their own public image and well-being and business, rather than reaching out to any of the victims,” said Francis M. Letro, a lawyer who represents two people who were on the boat that day.
A group of 29, nearly all connected to the Niagara County tourism industry, were riding the tour boat in the Lockport Cave about 11:30 a.m. June 12 when it capsized, tossing the passengers into the water.
Emergency responders worked carefully amid the chaotic scene to get the riders to safety, but Niagara Falls hotel owner Harshad Shah, 65, was…
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