Family of Man Killed in Marina Blast Awarded $1.5M

The family of a man killed in a Lincoln County, N.C., marina explosion has been awarded $1.5 million.

Jurors took less than an hour to make that decision Wednesday in the case of Nate Coppick. The 19-year-old was killed in 2008 while refueling a boat at Westport Marina.

The jury said Petroleum Equipment and Service had knowingly put people in danger by installing a piece of equipment that the state said was illegal to use at marinas.

A lawyer for the company said Nate was at fault for fueling a boat while it was running.

An attorney for Coppick’s estate said the fuel nozzle hold-open latch Coppick was using didn’t work properly and that at least 30 gallons of gas overflowed before the explosion.