Settlement reached in deadly 2017 tugboat accident

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - After more than two years, the family of tugboaters who drowned has reached a settlement with the boat company, Wepfer Marine.

Details of the settlement were limited because the document was sealed. However, court records show the settlement was approved by a judge in November.

Nineteen-year-old Anquavious Jamison and his stepfather Keith Pigrim were both aboard the Ricky Robinson Tug Boat when it sank in the Mississippi River in December 2017.

It took days to recover the vessel.

Jamison's body was still on the tugboat. Keith Pigram's body was never recovered.

Family members continued to search for their loved one's body - even holding prayer vigils hoping for answers.

"Keith’s body has still yet to be recovered and my biggest wish now is that we get some remains or a body or something so that we can bury him as being a man of integrity,” said Kim Newsome, Jamison’s mother.

In February 2019, the National Transportation Safety Board released new details about the final moments aboard the tugboat.

The NTSB discovered the stern hatches were left open on the boat. They were to blame for the sinking, along with Wepfer Marine's failure to address problems with the water tightness of the boat.

The families filed lawsuits shortly after.

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