Lawsuit Filed Against Vermont Utility in Dam Death

A lawsuit has been filed against Green Mountain Power saying the utility was negligent in operating a hydroelectric dam the day a Vermont fisherman drowned downstream.

The Burlington Free Press reports the suit was filed by the estate of Daniel Forsey in Chittenden County Superior Court. It requests a trial and asks for damages for the “mental and physical pain” the 59-year-old Forsey of Essex Junction felt as he was drowning and other compensation. Forsey was fishing in the Little River in Waterbury when he was caught in the fast-rising water last August.

Police said alarms sound and lights flash near the dam releasing water, but apparently could not be heard or seen downstream.

A Green Mountain Power spokeswoman said the utility had not been served with the complaint.