ROCKLAND – A couple from Arizona who were passengers on the windjammer Mercantile for a cruise that departed from Camden Harbor in July 2023 filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Portland against the owner of the ship claiming negligence after the wife fell and fractured her foot while traversing from the upper deck to the lower deck on the vessel.  

The plaintiffs, Jill and Kurt Strecker, who reside in Gold Canyon, Arizona, are represented by Attorney Alison Wholey Briggs of Briggs and Wholey, LLC in Rockland. The law suit was filed July 17.

The Mercantile is operated by Raymond F. Williamson, of Camden, who according to the suit, is engaged in the maritime tourism business and responsible for the maintenance and management of the vessel, including compliance with regulatory requirements and ensuring the safety and seaworthiness of the ship.

In their suit, the Streckers assert that the Mercantile was equipped with an unsecured wooden step stool at the junction of a higher deck and a lower deck for passengers to use to go up and down different levels of the deck. When Jill Strecker put her foot down to negotiate the change in decking levels the wooden stepping stool moved, and caused her to lose her footing, fall, and sustain injuries including fracturing her foot.

She “was directed, invited, permitted, encouraged and/or required, to use a wooden unsecured, movable step stool to go from one level of the multi level deck to another level of the deck aboard the Mercantile.”

They further claim that the “defendants were negligent in failing in their duty to regularly inspect the Mercantile’s deck to ensure that all surfaces are in a safe condition and fit for use by its passengers, including equipment placed to assist passenger moving from one level of decking to another level of decking on a multi-level deck on a vessel at sea.”

“The defendants’ negligence proximately caused permanent injuries and damages to the plaintiff, Jill Strecker, that include pain, suffering, disability, physical limitation, mental anguish and loss of capacity for the enjoyment of her years of remaining life. The losses described above are permanent and/or continuing.”

The Streckers seek damages recoverable under state and federal law, and/or general maritime law, including economic damages for medical and other related expenses and non-economic damages including pain, suffering, impaired mobility, physical impairment, mental anguish, inconvenience and loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life, and all court costs.  

Reach Sarah Shepherd at news@penbaypilot.com