Woman wants company involved in deadly boat crash reinstated

(CMR) A woman who was seriously injured in a boat accident that killed two others in 2019 has filed a petition in the Grand Court to restore the boating company responsible for the crash to the Register of Companies. Shamilia Wright wants the company reinstated so she can be compensated for personal injury, loss, and damage suffered.

Wright suffered very serious head injuries, including a subarachnoid hemorrhage in the bilateral high parietal region and a diffuse axonal/vascular brain injury after her personal boat was hit by the Pepper Jelly operated by Mango Jam Chartered Limited. She has also suffered consequential loss.

Following the fatal crash, Sean-Michael MacDonald, Pepper Jelly's captain, was arrested and charged with two counts of manslaughter.

The company was struck off the Register of Companies by the Registrar on 30 April 2021. Ms. Wright, represented by KSG Attorneys, wants Mango Jam Chartered Limited to be returned to the register so she can be compensated.

According to court documents, Mango Jam, a tour operator supplying boating and water sports activities to consumers, was the registered owner and operator of the  32′ Wellcraft Scarab motorboat Pepper Jelly.

On 11 August 2019, Pepper Jelly was being operated in the North Sound, Grand Cayman, by an employee of the company. Ms. Wright was one of three occupants aboard her vessel, a 24′ motorboat called the Godfrey Hurricane, also cruising the North Sound.

At some time between 6 pm and midnight on 11 August 2019, the Pepper Jelly struck Ms. Wright's boat due to the negligence of the employee Captain and/or the Company. Two of the occupants of Ms. Wright's boat were killed while she was thrown overboard into the North Sound, where she remained for some hours before being rescued.

Ms. Wright now seeks to restore the company to the register to allow her to bring a claim for damages for personal injury against the company. On the date of the accident, the company was subject to an insurance policy issued by Island Heritage.

Ms. Wright believes that Mango Jam would be in a position to satisfy a judgment if the company is restored. If it is not restored to the register, the Petitioner will have no effective means of seeking damages for her injury.