SAPELO ISLAND, Ga. — Three survivors of the Sapelo Island dock collapse from Jacksonville and Georgia have hired civil rights attorneys from Strom Law Firm, according to a news release.
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All three were injured on Saturday when the dock collapsed. The law firm told Action News Jax that one client shattered her elbow while saving her four-year-old grandson.
The collapse killed at least seven people and left six others critically injured.
Read: Four people from Jacksonville among those killed in Georgia dock collapse on Saturday
According to a news release, attorneys Bakari Sellers and Mario Pacella say they will be conducting their own investigation into what caused the collapse and who is responsible so they can be held accountable to the victims.
The law firm told Action News Jax it isn’t releasing the identities of their clients, but confirmed the three were from Jacksonville and Georgia.
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“This is absolutely horrific,” Sellers said in the release. “Unfortunately, it’s all too common as minority communities like this are ignored and neglected until that neglect results in tragedy. It’s predictable. It’s preventable. But it will never change until someone is held accountable.”
Read: Local church leaders grieve members dead after Sapelo Island dock collapse
“I can’t imagine what it must have been like for these victims,” Pacella said of their clients who were injured in the collapse. “We’re proud to stand with them and this entire community.”
The attorneys say they are examining all of the victim’s legal options as well as a possible lawsuit.
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