SAPELO ISLAND, Ga. (WTOC) - Wednesday, survivors of the deadly Sapelo Island gangway collapse announced their lawsuit against the parties involved in the engineering and construction of the gangway.

The founder of Mance Law Firm, LLC, a personal injury law firm in Savannah spoke about the emotional and physical toll the Sapelo Island gangway collapse has had on his clients. He also outlined key allegations in the lawsuit filed against the engineering and construction companies.

The fatal collapse on October 19th, 2024 resulted in over 20 people falling into the Dublin River, seven deaths, and over a dozen injuries as the community gathered for a Cultural Day celebration.

The day started as a Gullah Geechee celebration that brought thousands to the area.

See previous coverage:

According to the complaint, the survivors include residents of Sapelo Island as well as individuals who were visiting family members and attending the celebration on the island at the time of the incident.

See full complaint below:

Many members of the community, an attorney part of this lawsuit and many of the survivors are seeking justice. Chad Mance is one of several attorneys representing survivors of the dock collapse.

In Wednesday’s press conference announcing the lawsuit, he laid out the emotional impact the incident had on his clients.

The lawsuit lists several engineering and construction firms that he believes are responsible.

They’re Stevens & Wilkinson, Centennial Contractors Enterprises, EMC Engineering Services and Crescent Equipment Company.

One of the claims is that the 80-foot-gangway was under designed and poorly constructed.

It reads: Crescent never provided EMC, Stevens & Wilkinson, or Centennial, all contractors with its design or shop calculations proving that Crescent’s design of the 80-foot gangway satisfied the design criteria set forth in the Project Specifications and never had a Professional Engineer stamp and seal the designs and/or calculations.

Attorney Mance, ready to advocate for everyone impacted.

“When I look out and I see the victims, I see my family. And for that reason, it gives me honor and obligation to really kind of do my best for these folks,” said Mance.

Survivors like Janice Carol and George Francis recalled the moments they went into the water.

They say that it was a moment they’ll never forget.

Many people there Wednesday believe this was the first step towards justice.

WTOC reached out to every company listed as defendants in the lawsuit.

Read their responses below:

We are aware of the lawsuit recently filed in connection with the October 2024 incident on Sapelo Island. This was a tragic event and our thoughts remain with those affected. As this matter is now the subject of litigation, we are unable to comment further at this time and we continue to cooperate with the investigation.

We have recently learned about the reported lawsuit in connection with the Sapelo Island ferry gangway incident on October 19, 2024. The underlying facts remain the subject of ongoing investigation. We do not comment on pending legal proceedings. Our deepest sympathies are with those who lost loved ones or were injured.

We are waiting to hear back from EMC Engineering Services and Crescent Equipment Company.

Attorney’s also spoke out in Atlanta Wednesday.

SEE: Victims of Sapelo Island gangway collapse announce lawsuit

Civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump is filing the suit on behalf the victims. He sat down us last week to give an update on the victims’ cases.

READ: Lawsuit for Sapelo Island gangway collapse incident to be filed next week

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