In a lawsuit, the widower of a New Jersey mother of three claims that the US-based tour operator failed to warn of the danger when the mother was trampled to death by a hippopotamus while on safari in Africa.
According to Craig Manders’ claim, last May, while on a 10-day vacation in Zambia, he and his wife Lisa went on a “bush walk” with tour guides when a hippo that was partially submerged in a river “suddenly and without warning lifted its head and charged from the water.”
According to the lawsuit, the armed guides left and her husband looked on helplessly as the Cranford mother attempted to flee but “was unable to escape and the hippopotamus violently attacked her.”
“Lifting her off the ground, shaking her entire body, and crushing her head and body with its bite,” the lawsuit went on to say, when the hippo’s mouth seized her.
According to her husband, Lisa Manders passed away soon after suffering “catastrophic injuries.”
African Portfolio, a tour operator located in Connecticut, is being sued by her widower for negligence in failing to warn them of the possible threat posed by the wild creatures, which can weigh up to 3,000 pounds.
In a statement issued by his lawyers, the widower stated, “We never would have agreed to be in such close contact while on foot if we had known the dangers posed by the hippopotamus.”
“The idea that we were unwittingly exposed to such an extreme danger, a danger made even worse by our tour guides leaving Lisa alone on foot with nothing between her and such a deadly animal, is nothing short of astonishing.”
According to Manders, the guides “knew or should have known that the close presence of the wild hippopotamus… posed an immediate and extreme danger.” This is because the wild hippopotamus is known to have “known tendencies” of being “highly unpredictable, territorial, and aggressive in such circumstances.”
18-Month Prison Term for Former Ohio Dispatcher Who Started Multiple Forest Fires
This is what her husband had to say about Lisa: “She was the best mother and wife anyone could ever hope for.” We have suffered a terrible loss not only for our family but also for our community as a whole because of her tragic death.
Rod Gould, an attorney for African Portfolio, described Lisa’s passing as a “really unusual” tragedy that was both awful and unexpected.
However, he stated that the company is not accountable for the activities that take place during the trips because it is responsible for arranging tours from reputable and vetted safari lodges.
“The person I work with is a tour operator. Tours are organized by it,” Gould explained. As an illustration, a trip can involve the cost of airfare. In the event that the airline misplaces luggage, we are not responsible.
It is well known that male hippos weigh more than three thousand pounds, can run at a pace of twenty miles per hour, and are fiercely territorial.