The mother of a two-year-old girl attacked by a river otter at the Bremerton Marina last September has filed a complaint against the Port of Bremerton, which operates the facility, accusing the agency of negligence in not addressing a known otters infestation at the marina.
Documents filed July 25 in Kitsap County Superior Court claim that the Port was aware of an infestation of otters at the marina that included aggressive behavior, based on at least two documented complaints by a marina tenant as well as one confirmation by Port staff, and did not take steps to address the danger posed.
The morning of September 12, 2024, the two-year-old daughter of Travyn Schiffner, who filed the lawsuit, was walking on the dock when she was was attacked and pulled under the water by a river otter. Schiffner rescued the child from the water, according to a Washington Department of Wildlife report at the time, and was bitten on the arm by the otter. The otter then continued to pursue the family as they fled from E Dock, on the north end of the marina in downtown Bremerton. The family lived aboard a sailboat moored in the marina, according to the complaint…