Lava tour operator hit with another lawsuit

A second group of mainland residents who were aboard a lava tour boat last July when a “lava bomb” tore through the boat’s roof is suing the tour company and the boat’s captain.

Plaintiffs in the civil suit, filed Wednesday in Hilo Circuit Court, are Erin Walsh and William D. Bryan Jr., an Oregon couple, and Californians Dawn Li — on her own behalf and on behalf of her minor son, Christopher Li — Dr. Ka Ming Li, a trauma surgeon and Dawn Li’s husband, and the couple’s adult daughter, Erica Li.

Named as defendants are Lava Ocean Tours Inc. and Shane Turpin, captain of the lava vessel “Hot Spot,” and listed as the corporation’s only officer by the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.

Another suit was filed in Hilo Circuit Court last month by the family of Jessica Tilton, a 20-year-old Illinois woman who suffered broken bones to her leg and pelvis.

Read more: https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2019/02/26/hawaii-news/lava-tour-operator-hit-with-another-lawsuit/