The family of a 12-year-old girl fatally struck by a jet ski in Mission Bay has filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit.
The suit faults the U.S. Coast Guard and Army Corps. of Engineers for allegedly failing to ensure conditions were safe for swimmers, paddleboarders and others in 2023 when Savannah Peterson was struck by a jet ski traveling at high speeds while she was paddleboarding in De Anza Cove.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in San Diego federal court, alleges the areas where jet skis and other watercraft operate should have been clearly separated from areas for swimmers and others by buoys, signage or other demarcations.
The lawsuit also claims additional safety patrols and safety-related signage could have prevented the fatality.
“The defendants failed to manage Mission Bay in a wa