The father of a Portland man who drowned in the Back Cove in 2020 has added the city of Portland and a firefighter to a wrongful death lawsuit.
John Cohen, the father of Eric Cohen who drowned nearly three years ago, amended his complaint, originally filed in September 2021, because of information that came up during the discovery process, according to the Portland Press Herald.
The addition of firefighter Ronald Giroux Jr. and the city as defendants is the sixth amendment to the complaint filed. Two police officers originally named in the complaint have been dropped from the suit, the Press Herald reported.
Eric Cohen, who had a history of mental health issues, allegedly beat his girlfriend unconscious and assaulted a bystander after the couple got into an argument while walking down Marginal Way in April 2020, according to police.
Cohen allegedly fled from police, crossed Interstate 295, stripped naked and jumped into the 41-degree water.
The wrongful death suit claims first responders could have acted faster to save his life while they waited for the city’s fireboat to arrive.
