Thunder on the Narrows Deadly Crash Focus of Lawsuit

ANNAPOLIS, MD — A catastrophic crash during a speedboat race that killed a 7-year-old Chester girl, injured eight others and damaged multiple boats is now the subject of a lawsuit filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court in Baltimore.

Julianne Addison Rosela, 7, was killed June 28, 2015, when a race boat in the Thunder on the Narrows competition went off the course near Kent Island and struck a crowd of spectators on boats.

Authorities say Julianne died when she was hit by a 21-foot high-speed boat. Boats reach speeds of up to 150 mph in the race.

Coast Guard officials say the racing boat This Is Heaven, driven by Philip Justus Mitchell, struck three spectator boats that were rafted together with a larger group of 12 boats.

Julianne died at Queen Anne’s Medical Center, while three other spectators suffered injuries serious enough that they were flown by helicopter to area hospitals.

The lawsuit was filed against the sponsors of the event, the American Power Boat Association and the Kent Narrows Racing Association, and the owners of the speedboat that crashed, reports The Baltimore Sun. The plaintiffs claim basic safety rules were violated at the race, which didn't keep spectators at least 250 feet away from the race course, and says organizers allowed an unqualified driver to operate the speedboat.

»SEE ALSO: Police: 7-Year-Old Killed at Thunder on the Narrows

A Julianne Rosela’s Memorial Fund page on the GoFundMe site was set up to help the child’s mother pay funeral expenses, medical bills and lost wages. Just over $50,000 was raised by the site.

The website says Julianne is survived by her mother, Carrie Rosela, and her sisters, Meghan and Allie.

“She was a beautiful girl who crackled with energy and warmth and love, whose loss is all the more painful for how strongly and loudly and enthusiasically she lived,” the fundraiser site says.
»Photo of Julianne Rosela from GoFundMe page, with permission