A family from Naples, Floridahas filed a lawsuit against the POT seeking compensation of USD 80,000, following an incident in which space debris impacted his home, creating a hole in the roof. The metal object that hit the house detached from a cargo pallet released by the International Space Station (ISS) in 2021 and crashed on March 8, 2024, according to information shared by The Guardian. As confirmed by the US space agency, the remains that fell at Alejandro Otero’s residence belonged to his flight support team.
The accident occurred while Daniel Otero, son of the family, was at home. Fortunately, no one was injured, although the incident caused considerable property damage. The debris, a metal cylinder that weighed about 0.73 kg (1.6 lb) and measured approximately 10.2 x 4 cm (4 x 1.6 in), blew a hole in the roof and floor of the house . Alejandro Otero told Wink News that the metal object “almost hit his son,” who was only two rooms away from the impact.
The law firm Cranfill Sumner has announced through a press release that it is representing the Otero family in this legal action. The lawsuit, filed by Mica Nguyen Worthy, an attorney for the family, seeks compensation for “uninsured property damage, business interruption, emotional and mental distress, and the cost of assistance from third-party agencies.” Worthy stressed, “My clients are seeking appropriate compensation to account for the stress and impact this event had on their lives.”
The lawyer also highlighted the importance of the case for its potential to establish precedents related to space debris claims, both in the public and private sectors. Worthy mentioned that this incident could have had much more serious consequences. “They are grateful that no one was physically injured in this incident, but a ‘near miss’ situation like this could have been catastrophic. “If the debris had fallen a few meters in another direction, there could have been serious injuries or a death.”
The POT analyzed the fragments in the Kennedy Space Center and determined that these did not disintegrate as usual upon entering the Earth’s atmosphere. This analysis confirmed that the remains came from a cargo pallet released by the ISS. The space agency has six months to respond to the Otero family’s claim.
This incident has generated considerable legal and safety interest, demonstrating the potential risks of space debris. The Otero family hopes that the outcome of their lawsuit can influence future space debris management policies and the responsibility of space agencies in similar situations.
