PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, October 17. THE family of the late Fran Crippen filed a summons this week in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, a first step in a possible future lawsuit against FINA and USA Swimming in the death of the open water swimmer.
ESPN reported that the summons is part of the proceedings of initiating a personal injury case, as told by Gerald McHugh, the attorney representing Fran Crippen's parents Patricia and Peter Crippen. It also allows the family to continue to pursue the possibility of a lawsuit without worrying about the statute of limitations. The amount of possible damages listed in the lawsuit is more than $50,000.
“A summons was filed for the purpose of preserving the Crippen family's rights while they continue to review the recent rule changes enacted by FINA in the wake of Fran's death,” McHugh wrote in an email to ESPN.com.
Crippen died on Oct. 23, 2010, in a 10-kilometer open water race in the United Arab Emirates. The official cause of death was drowning as a result of heat exhaustion and a heart attack. FINA and USA Swimming both conducted independent panels to review open water safety, with both organizations still coming under fire for not fully revising guidelines and procedures to prevent future deaths.