Franklin county agrees to hire expert witness in suit against Orion Marine Group

Franklin County is moving forward with its lawsuit against the Orion Marine Group, the company whose barge damaged the St. George Island fishing pier in late June during Tropical Storm Debby.

The barge slammed into the pier during the storm and knocked out three sections of roadway, leaving a 165 foot gap in the pier.

On Tuesday the county agreed to hire an expert witness by the name of Ed Hays who works with American Nautical Services in Ft. Lauderdale.

As an expert witness he will be able to testify for the county as to the negligence of Orion Marine in failing to properly secure its barges and provide testimony as to the amount of the damages and the value of the barges.

The Orion group is claiming it was not negligent and therefore should not be held liable for more than the cost of the barge which they estimate at a little over 100 thousand dollars.

The county wants to recoup its expenses for having to repair the pier, and their legal fees if possible.

The cost for repairing the pier was closer to 600 thousand dollars.

The Orion Marine Group even bid on the repair project, asking 885 thousand dollars for the work.

The county’s lawsuit is in the local circuit court so a local jury will decide whether Orion is liable in the case and the amount of the damages.

A federal judge, however, will have the ultimate decision as to how much money the Orion Marine Group has to pay to the county.

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