NEW YORK (WABC) — A woman whose husband was killed while the couple was riding a personal watercraft in Queens has filed a lawsuit accusing the marina where they rented the vessel of gross negligence.<\/p>\n
Ian Gumbs, 56, was killed after he and his wife, Stacey Thomas, rented the motorized vessel from Swan Marina NYC in Howard Beach on Aug. 14.<\/p>\n
Thomas, who was injured, witnessed her husband’s death and is speaking about the incident as she recovers.<\/p>\n
“He went under, it sounded like it was chopping him up, but it was the propeller from the jet ski turning him around in a circle and then shot him out in the middle of the ocean,” Thomas said.<\/p>\n
“I know it happened, but I don’t believe it, it happened so quick,” she said.<\/p>\n
The couple took video shortly before renting the watercraft and headed out wearing life vests with an instructor, according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit alleges the instructor got close to Thomas and Gumbs and did “a donut, turning right and left and accelerating,” creating “turbulent and dangerous wakes.”<\/p>\n
“Ian went to go make the left to try and get out of the water and it smacked the boat up,” Thomas said.<\/p>\n
Both were thrown into the water, first Thomas and then Gumbs. Thomas said she watched as the vessel pulled her husband under.<\/p>\n
“He was fighting, he was throwing his arm and leg up, he did that three or four times, they kept going and going,” she said.<\/p>\n
Gumbs, who had deep ties to the rap group Wu-Tang Clan, died at the hospital.<\/p>\n
According to the lawsuit, Thomas heard the instructor say after the incident, “I (expletive) knew it was (expletive) up. I shouldn’t have taken them out.”<\/p>\n
“I kept saying ‘what did you know, did you know the accident was going to happen, did you know this boat had a hole in it,'” Thomas said.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit alleges there was “a hole in the front” with “white foam visible around it.” Thomas said she saw the damage after the watercraft was lifted from the water.<\/p>\n
Attorney Abe George said the lawsuit is intended to push for changes among personal watercraft rental operators.<\/p>\n
“We want to be a message to people who rent jet skis to be more careful in how they treat their clients and customers and basic reform,” George said.<\/p>\n
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