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Fallen firefighter’s son claims his death was negligent, sues city

The son of Honululu Fire Department firefighter Cliff Rigsbee said training officials did not evaluate the risk of the exercise that killed him

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Cliff Rigsbee died while participating in a training exercise in June 2016.

Photo/Honolulu Fire Dept

By FireRescue1 Staff

HONOLULU — The son of a firefighter who died during a training exercise is suing the city for negligence.

Hawaii News Now reported that Honolulu Fire Department firefighter Cliff Rigsbee was riding a rescue sled while participating in a training exercise in June 2016.

Rigsbee became unconscious after going through a series of large waves and later died from fatal blunt force injuries, according to the lawsuit.

Rigsbee’s son claimed overall negligence and said training officials failed to heed a high surf warning in the area at the time and did not adequately evaluate the risk of the exercise.

The fire department said they have improved safety measures since Rigsbee’s death and paid a $15,000 for inadequate safety planning.