By Katy Mulvaney, Providence Journal.
PROVIDENCE — A federal judge has awarded an America's Cup-level sailor from Newport $1.46 million for injuries he suffered disembarking a racing yacht at the direction of his captain during rough seas in the Caribbean.
U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. on Thursday found that Moneypenny Holdings LLC, the Delaware corporation that owns the yacht, S/V Vesper, was negligent by failing to have proper safety procedures in place when its crew was asked to jump from the yacht into a smaller boat in turbulent waters in 2011. One of the crew members, Kenneth Nevor, then 35, was permanently injured, his right bicep torn from his arm, effectively ending his professional sailing career. McConnell awarded Nevor $710,458 for loss of earnings and $750,000 for pain and suffering.
Nevor, who began sailing at age 8 and moved to Newport at 18 to pursue it professionally, was an elite sailor who competed in the around-the-world Volvo Ocean Race and other high-level regattas worldwide.
“It's kind of a tragedy. That was his life,” said his lawyer, Vincent J. Morgera. Nevor no longer has the “power, strength or stamina to be top flight sailor” — his life's passion, Morgera said.
Read the full story, including how the injury happened, here.
