Alenjandro Otera and his family from Naples, Florida, are sueing NASA for $80,000. They want compensation for damage to their home caused by a piece of space junk that crashed into it on March 8. The incident happened while Otero was on vacation and his son told him about the crash. More about incident A cylindrical metal object, weighing 1.6 pounds and measuring 4 inches by 1.6 inches, tore through the Otero familys house, causing a lot of damage. Otero said he was shocked and thankful that no one was hurt in the incident. He said, I was shaking. I was completely in disbelief. What are the chances of something landing on my house with such force to cause so much damage, and I amm grateful that nobody got hurt.Otero said he was shocked and thankful no one was hurt. He said, I was shaking and couldnt believe it. What are the chances of something hitting my house so hard and causing so much damage He added, Im grateful nobody got hurt.NASA later confirmed that the object was a metal support used for mounting old batteries on a cargo pallet, which was thrown out from the space station in 2021. It was supposed to burn up completely when it re-entered Earths atmosphere, but one piece survived and landed on the Otero familys property.The family, represented by the law firm Cranfill Sumner, is seeking compensation for uninsured property damage, business interruption, emotional and mental distress and the cost of help from third-party agencies.🚨 SPACE JUNK CRASHES INTO FLORIDA HOMENASA confirms a piece of space debris from the International Space Station crashed through a Naples, Florida, home last month.The object, a metal support from a cargo pallet, survived re-entry and caused significant damage to the… pic.twitter.com/4GlEIYxued— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) April 16, 2024Attorney highlights space debris risksAttorney Mica Nguyen Worthy stressed the seriousness of space debris, saying, My clients want fair compensation for the stress and impact this event had on their lives. She added, Theyre grateful no one was physically hurt, but a near miss like this could have been disastrous. If the debris had landed just a few feet away, someone could have been seriously injured or killed.Worthy also mentioned that this case aims to set a precedent for space debris claims in both the private and public sectors. NASA has six months to respond to the Otero familys claims.
