A couple filed a lawsuit against a tour company after claiming they were left behind in the ocean.
Buzzfeed News reported Elizabeth Webster and her husband, Alexander Burckle, sued Sail Maui last month.
According to the couple, they were abandoned in the ocean during a snorkeling tour while on their honeymoon in 2021 with 42 other individuals in Hawaii, per the report.
Passengers were reportedly told the boat would remain at the first spot for an hour before going on to the second.
Webster and Burckle proceeded to return to the boat but struggled due to conditions on the water.
Jared A. Washkowitz, the attorney representing the couple, explained to the outlet, “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.”
The lawsuit explains the couple “realized the Vessel had left them and was not coming back for them, and they decided that their only option for survival at that point was to return to shore.”
The lawsuit points out the closest land was the island of Lanai.
After finally arriving at the shore of Old Club Lanai, they were both fatigued and dehydrated, the lawsuit claims.
The tour company later provided a ferry to bring the couple back to Maui.
“It’s kind of scary to think what would’ve happened if they hadn’t made it,” Washkowitz said.
He added, “I’m not sure the company would’ve known about it until family members started asking about it. It’s just kind of a scary thought.”
The attorney shared that the couple are “not giving any statements because they don’t want to have to relive the incident over and over again.”
He continued, “They’re both getting psychological treatment. They have anxiety and stress from the incident, and they’re coping the best they can.”
Additionally, the lawsuit said passengers shared with the Coast Guard that the individual counting the passengers “did not make people hold still or sit down during the head count, and that people were wandering around above and below deck.”
