Posted on 02/14/2025 6:59:21 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
A New Jersey man whose wife was killed in a horrific hippopotamus attack last year during a safari in Africa is suing the U.S. company that arranged the trip, alleging it failed to ensure their safety and did not adequately screen and supervise the tour guides.
Craig and Lisa Manders were on a guided walk in Zambia in June when a hippo charged out of the water, grabbed Lisa Manders by its mouth and crushed her head and body with its bite, according to the lawsuit filed against African Portfolio, a safari tour company based in Greenwich, Connecticut. The company denies the lawsuit's allegations.
The lawsuit, filed Feb. 5 in Stamford, Connecticut, alleges that as a horrified Craig Manders watched the attack, the tour guides — including at least one armed with a rifle — walked away without helping the couple. Lisa Manders, 70, suffered catastrophic injuries and died shortly after, the lawsuit says.
“We’re doing this because this should never have happened,” said Paul Slager, an attorney who is representing Craig Manders with his law partner, Nicole Coates. “There are basic safety standards that businesses are expected to follow, and that includes people in the safari tour industry. And those were not followed, and the consequences here were absolutely devastating.”
Slager said the lawsuit seeks monetary damages that have not yet been determined, as well as accountability for Lisa Manders' death and keeping others safe in the future. He said Craig Manders was not giving interviews.
(Excerpt) Read more at channel3000.com ...
Sue! Because that’s the American Way!
“Hippos are the world’s second-largest land mammals after elephants, measuring about 11 feet (3.5 meters) long and about 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall, according to International Fund for Animal Welfare. The average male hippo weighs about 7,000 pounds (3,200 kilograms).
Hippos are known to be territorial and aggressive at times. A year before Lisa Manders died, seven people were killed in the southern African nation of Malawi when a hippo charged into a canoe and capsized it on a river. Estimates of how many people are killed by hippos each year vary, with lower figures beginning at around 500.”
I feel sorry for the guy’s loss, but there’s something a little naive about wandering around aimlessly amid creatures that can bite a crocodile in half.
I still want one for Christmas
I saw that!
Did he never play the game? Did he not know hippos are hungry hungry?
I saw a hippo once at a zoo from a safe place behind a wall. Checked them off my bucket list.
I remember that story a while back about the guy in South Africa who was killed by his pet hippo. They aren’t cute, cuddly animals.
Never take your wife to a Hippo Fight! (Too soon?) ;)
Sad. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
Suing anything and everything is a crazy woke attitude.
If a NewYorker has a car-accident in Texas will he sue the State of Texas for that? Crazy world.
Hippos have super strong jaw strength...... They chomp down on a crocodile and will crush it.
Good luck.
“...grabbed Lisa Manders by its mouth and crushed her head and body with its bite”
That’s got to be high up on my list of “ways I hope not to die.”
I’ll be here all weekend 😂😂😂
Hippos have the STRONGEST JAWS!
The tour leaders claim that the couple ignored their repeated warnings to back away.
The reason to visit Africa is because it’s really different from home.
That’s also the reason NOT to visit Africa.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.