Maryland woman whose son drowned at West Virginia obstacle course files lawsuit

The Associated Press
May 6, 2014 at 5:21PM

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Maryland woman whose son drowned last year along an obstacle course in West Virginia has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the organizers of the Tough Mudder event.

The lawsuit filed by Mita Sengupta says Tough Mudder LLC failed to follow basic safety precautions that led to the April 2013 death of 28-year-old Avishek Sengupta, of Ellicott City, Maryland.

Sengupta died a day after he was pulled from the water pit of the "Walk the Plank" obstacle. The obstacle involves climbing a wooden wall to a platform, then jumping 15 feet into a water pit.

Tough Mudder didn't immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

Participants must be 18 and sign a liability waiver.

Sengupta's death was the first for the Brooklyn, New York-based company, which debuted in 2010.

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JOHN RABY

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