Familes of men killed in Jose Fernandez boat crash sue late pitcher’s estate

The families of the two men riding with Jose Fernandez in a fatal boat crash are filing suit against the late pitcher’s estate.

The families of the two men riding with late Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez in a fatal boat crash are filing suit against his estate, the Sun-Sentinelreports.

Both families are seeking $2 million in negligence and personal injury lawsuits. Eduardo Rivero and Emilio Macias were riding with Fernandez, who was found to have been legally drunk with cocaine in his system at the time of the accident. Autopsies revealed Rivero had a blood alcohol level of .06 with cocaine also in his system, and Macias had a blood alcohol level of .04. It is unknown who was driving the boat when the men crashed in the early morning on Sept. 25.

Rivero and Macias were lifelong friends. Fernandez and Rivero met through their girlfriends, and Macias reportedly met Fernandez for the first time that night. Both men’s families are being represented by the same attorney.

The Fernandez family’s attorney told the Sun-Sentinel a settlement is unlikely, with Fernandez’s unborn child on the way and incentive to protect his earnings. He also said that he had reason to believe Fernandez might not have knowingly ingested cocaine that night, and that he expected an ongoing investigation to show Fernandez was not driving the boat when it crashed.