RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The widow of a man who drowned after his SUV went into a Riviera Beach canal in 2024 has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city, alleging firefighters made critical mistakes during the rescue and that failures in training, supervision and equipment contributed to his death.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Palm Beach County, was brought by Gia Joyce Thomas, the personal representative of the estate of Heath Jerome Thomas, against the City of Riviera Beach. The complaint says Heath Thomas died April 22, 2024, after Riviera Beach Fire Rescue responded to Garden Road and Interstate Park Road South for a vehicle in a canal.
According to the complaint, Thomas’ SUV was floating in the middle of the canal and was stable and not actively sinking when firefighters reached it. The suit alleges one firefighter went to the driver’s door and began talking to Thomas, while others opened a rear door and used a center-punch tool to break the driver’s window. The lawsuit says those actions caused the vehicle to sink and submerge before Thomas could be removed…