Florida family is suing NASA after a piece of metallic space debris fell on their home
After a home in Naples, Florida, was struck by debris that fell to Earth from outer space, the family that lives there is now suing NASA for $80,000 in compensation.
In a press release from the Cranfill Sumner law firm, it was shared that Alejandro Otero and his family were suing the space agency after a hole was punched through their roof by a metallic cylinder slab from a cargo pallet.
The cargo pallet was released by the International Space Station in 2021 and remained in Earth’s atmosphere until it crashed into Otero’s home on March 8, 2024.
While no one was injured in the incident, Otero’s son was home at the time, and he shared with Wink News that the object almost hit him. The incident also resulted in the family having a hole in their roof and floor.
NASA has confirmed that the debris was from its flight support equipment and that a section of the debris remained intact instead of disintegrating after it entered the planet’s atmosphere.
The space debris was collected and analyzed at the Kennedy Space Center. It was determined to weigh 1.6 lbs and measured in at 4 inches by 1.6 inches.
Mica Nguyen Worthy, who is representing the Otero family, said that the compensation being sought is for non-insured property, business interruption, the cost of assistance from third-party agencies, and emotional and mental anguish caused by the incident.
“My clients are seeking adequate compensation to account for the stress and impact that this event had on their lives,” Worthy said in a statement. “They are grateful that no one sustained physical injuries from this incident, but a ‘near miss’ situation such as this could have been catastrophic. If the debris had hit a few feet in another direction, there could have been serious injury or a fatality.”
NASA has six months to respond to the family’s suit.
