Michael Ramsey is a citizen and resident of St. John, Virgin Islands. He is the captain, master, and operator of M/V Clickbait at the time of the terrifying accident.
Allegations against the defendants
In the lawsuit, Kokot claimed that she nearly died and is now suffering from painful, severe, and permanent injuries because of the defendant’s negligence.
In April 2019, the plaintiff’s brother-in-law, Steven Snyder did an online search for excursions for a family vacation to the U.S. Virgin Islands. He found the website of Wharfside Watersports and contacted the company by phone.
Snyder spoke to Wharfside Watersports owner Justin Bartosh, who advised him to rent two vessels for his group. Bartosh told Snyder that his company had two vessels, the M/V Poseidon and M/V Clickbait, which would be suitable for his group’s excursion. He booked the vessels—$1,200 for each boat plus the extra fee for fuel, and customs fees—for June 15, 2019.
On June 15 last year, Snyder and his guests including plaintiff Kokot were at the National Park Dock in St John at 9:00 a.m., waiting for M/V Poseidon and M/V Clickbait. The charter boats were late and when they arrived, neither had drinks and the snorkeling gears, which were part of the deal. The charter boats with the passengers aboard returned to the beach at Cruz Bay, St. John to get the drinks and the snorkeling gears.
