An American family in Florida is seeking more than $80,000 in compensation from NASA after a piece of space debris broke through the roof of their home. The incident happened on March 8th when an object weighing 700 grams struck Alejandro Otero’s house in Naples, Florida. The object was later confirmed to be part of a pallet of used batteries released from the International Space Station as waste in 2021.
The law firm Cranfill Sumner, representing the family, stated that space debris incidents are becoming more prevalent as space traffic increases. They believe that NASA’s response to this incident could set a precedent for handling future claims. According to the law firm, Otero’s son was inside the house at the time of the incident. NASA has a six-month deadline to respond to the family’s request for compensation.
Attorney Mica Nguyen Worthy stated that the family is seeking appropriate compensation for the stress and impact this event has had on their lives. They are grateful that no one was physically injured, but acknowledge that the situation could have been catastrophic. The family’s legal representation is emphasizing the need for NASA to address the consequences of space debris incidents and provide fair compensation to those affected. They hope that NASA’s response to this case will set a precedent for handling similar situations in the future.
The family is seeking more than $80,000 in compensation from NASA after a piece of space debris fell from space and broke through their home’s roof on March 8th, causing damage and stress to their lives.
NASA later confirmed that the object was part of a pallet of used batteries released from the International Space Station as waste in 2021. Instead of disintegrating completely before re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, a section remained intact and caused impact.
Law firm Cranfill Sumner, representing Otero’s family, believes that space debris issues have become more prevalent as space traffic has increased.
They believe that NASA’s response to this incident could set a precedent for handling future claims.
Otero’s son was inside their house at the time of impact.
NASA has until June 8th to respond to Otero’s request for compensation according to attorney Mica Nguyen Worthy who states that his client seeks appropriate compensation for stress and impact caused by this event.
