PORT RICHEY, Fla. — An attorney for the family of Carrie Dempsey, 42, who died following January’s casino shuttle boat fire, has settled with Tropical Breeze Casino Cruz.

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“I can’t comment on the terms because they’re confidential," said attorney Steven Yerrid. "I can say that their lives will be better as a result of our settlement.” 

A report released by the NTSB this week found that Tropical Breeze had ineffective preventive maintenance and insufficient training practices that likely caused the fire.

“They’re pleased that every assertion, the allegations that were contained in our complaint, were validated,” said Yerrid of Dempsey’s family. “I mean, this was wrongdoing at its epitome.”

The NTSB recommended that the company develop an oversight system to ensure proper maintenance and revise marine firefighting and job training programs.

Tropical Breeze refused to comment for this story.

The report also made recommendations to the Coast Guard, including that it require fire detection systems in unmanned spaces with machinery or other heat sources on small passenger vessels, and that it issue a bulletin that stresses the importance of using the right materials and components in fuel tank level-indicator systems.

The report reiterated previous recommendations to the agency, as well. Those were to require companies like Tropical Breeze to develop preventive maintenance programs and to require operators of U.S.-flag passenger vessels to implement safety management systems.

A USCG spokesperson said in a statement, “The Coast Guard is aware of the National Transportation Safety Board’s findings, however as the Coast Guard investigation results have yet to be finalized, we cannot comment on any findings that pertain to this case until our investigation is complete.”