FIRST ON 3: Families of women killed during parasailing accident file lawsuit

BRUNSWICK COUNTY (WWAY) – We’re learning more about the events that led to the deaths of two women while parasailing in Ocean Isle Beach last summer. A copy of a complaint (View 21-page lawsuit) filed last week outlines what the families of Lorrie Shoup and Cynthia Woodcock say was a terrifying trip that turned fatal.  Now, those families and passengers aboard the boat, are seeking compensation.

56-year-old Shoup of Colorado and 60-year-old Cynthia Woodcock of Kernersville died on August 28 during a parasailing accident while vacationing in Ocean Isle. Last week, their familes filed a lawsuit in Forsyth County Superior Court.  Their attorneys say Ocean Isle Beach Watersports is to blame for their deaths. Also on the boat were four children, ranging from five to 12 years old. Their parents are also seeking damages from Ocean Isle Beach Watersports for alleged emotional distress.

The complaint alleges that the captain, and therefore the company, proceeded with the parasialing trip recklessly. Shoup and Woodcock died when the rope that anchored the parasail snapped, releasing the parachute entirely from the boat, when weather and water turned rough. At one point, the complaint says, the victims were dragged along the water and even crashed in to the boat before being tangled in the pier. Attempts to revive them were unsuccessful.
  
The complaint says negligence on the part of Ocean Isle Beach Watersports caused Shoup and Woodcock’s deaths. It says the captain proceeded without knowing or checking that the National Weather Service had issued a small craft advisory for that day and the forecast called for rough seas and thunderstorms. The document claims seas caused water to pour in to the boat while the vessel was crashing against the ocean’s surface, scaring the children on board. At one point they were huddled together, clinging to each other for dear life and recited the Lord’s Prayer, according to the complaint.
 
Furthermore, it’s alleged that the boat’s captain, Thomas Povazan, and the mate, Christopher James Echert, attempted to save the women, but at no time did they call 911.  In addition, the passengers of the boat did not get proper safety instructions or guidelines prior to the trip.
 
An autopsy revealed that the women died of blunt force trauma. The families of the victims are seeking monetary damages for medical treatment, legal fees, funeral expenses and damages. The guardian for the children aboard the boat is also seeking monetary damages.