The parents of a boy who was killed in a 2023 boating accident at a Boy Scout camp in Gilmanton are suing the scouting organization and the 18-year-old counselor who was driving the boat.
Eleven-year-old Keoni Hubbard of Lexington, Massachusetts, died after being hit by the boat’s propeller while swimming in Lake Manning. In their lawsuit, Jena and John Hubbard allege the Boy Scouts of America and the New Hampshire-based Daniel Webster Council are responsible for failing to adequately train and supervise the counselor operating the boat.
The Hubbards’ lawyer said in a press call Tuesday that the driver was woefully unprepared to take eight scouts in a 21-foot motorboat. Attorney Tucker Merrigan alleged that the counselor allowed the boys to swim without anchoring the boat and failed to keep track of their location in the water.
The counselor had received his boating license just 10 days prior to the accident and had spent less than an hour learning how the boat controls functioned, Merrigan said. He also noted that the counselor had not received lifeguard training and wasn’t yet 21, in violation of the scouting organization’s rules.
Merrigan said the family brought the case to force the scouting organization to implement safety rules and ensure they are followed. They believe the lawsuit is the only way to ensure that.
Merrigan said the Hubbard family did not want to sue the counselor personally but had to name him to bring the case.
“He was 18 years old, and he was put in an impossible situation with a job he was destined to fail,” Merrigan said.
A person who answered the phone at a home matching the address of the counselor identified in the lawsuit declined to comment.
The Daniel Webster Council referred NHPR to the Boy Scouts of America, which said it would not comment on pending litigation.
“We continue to grieve the loss of Keoni Hubbard following his tragic death,” the organization said in an email. “We wish to, again, express our deepest condolences to Keoni’s family and friends.”
The organization did not answer a question from NHPR about a scouting patch Hubbard’s troop created to honor him. It shows an eagle carrying a spatula, to commemorate a cooking award Hubbard had received. Merrigan said the troop has been forbidden from wearing the patch during scouting activities.
During the press call, Jena and John Hubbard said they will grieve their son’s death for the rest of their lives.
“I did not know that this level of sadness existed,” Jena Hubbard said. “Even the word sad seems insufficient, and it is overwhelming to think that I will feel this way every day for the rest of my life. I'm devastated my son won't be able to grow up.”
The case was filed in Hillsborough County Superior Court. Should the case reach a jury, Merrigan said they expect an award “well in excess of $100 million.”
