Teen who lost fingers in watercraft mishap sues Mission Bay Aquatic Center

Danielle Dawson
·3 min read
5

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The family of a teenager who lost multiple fingers in a 2022 personal watercraft mishap at a Mission Bay aquatic sports camp is now suing its organizers for negligence.

The lawsuit, which was filed in a state court on Tuesday, alleges “gross mismanagement” at the Mission Bay Aquatic Center in allowing untrained people to operate Yamaha Wave Runners during its watersports camp, leading to then-15-year-old Keira Doshi’s injury.

According to the 12-page complaint, Doshi was registered as a “Counselor-in-Training” for the Mission Bay Aquatic Center at the time of the incident on July 28, 2022 that led to the loss of three of her fingers.

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Part of this training, the family’s suit added, is serving as an “observer” on wakeboarding trips, which acts as an intermediary between the wake boarder and the vessel operator. It was during one of these trips that the accident occurred.

The day prior, the family alleges the director of Mission Bay Aquatic Center, Kevin Straw, informed its instructional manager, Paul Lang, to use a Wave Runner for wakeboarding, as the boat they typically use was down for maintenance.

Lang advised against their use in a text between them, since they have not been used very frequently by the aquatic center so “instructors and CITs did not have adequate training,” the lawsuit said.

However, Straw asked an 18-year-old employee at the Aquatic Center, who the complaint says did not have any formal training on operating personal watercraft or maritime first aid, to tow campers using those vessels. Doshi similarly had no experience or training to serve as an observer on a personal watercraft.

For about an hour, the family alleges Doshi and the employee struggled to take two wake board riders on the Wave Runner. Straw also did not correct either of the two for noticeable safety issues, such as Doshi’s coiling the tow line around her hand, the complaint added.

Then, around 9:11 a.m. near Fiesta Island, the employee suddenly throttled the engine without warning to a speed above six miles per hour, according to the suit, knocking Doshi from the Wave Runner while the tow line was still wrapped around her left hand.

Doshi was allegedly pulled in the tow line for about five seconds at a speed of roughly 15 miles per hour, severing three of her fingers from her hand. After extensive treatment, only one of her fingers was able to be reattached albeit without full functionality, the complaint said.

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The San Diego Police Department was called in to investigate the incident after it occurred. According to the suit, officers determined the employee was at-fault for the incident, noting that he was acting “to the best of his training and experience under the guidance of Director of Mission Bay Aquatic Center Kevin Straw.”

In the suit, the family says they are seeking both general and special damages that would cover all medical expenses and possible loss of income due to impairment as a result of the incident.

The Mission Bay Aquatic Center sent FOX 5/KUSI the following statement Thursday:

“The Mission Bay Aquatic Center (MBAC), a provider of water sports and education to the community for over 50 years with a strong and continuing commitment to safety, is aware of the accident that occurred during the summer of 2022, and as this matter involves a program participant and pending litigation, MBAC cannot provide any further comment.”

YMCA of San Diego County and UC San Diego Recreation, who are also named as defendants in the case, declined to comment when FOX 5/KUSI reached out.

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