A Florida family is suing NASA after space debris from the International Space Station collided with the roof of their home

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NAPLES, Fla. (WJW) — A Florida family has filed a lawsuit against NASA after space debris from the International Space Station collided with the roof of their home earlier this year.

The cylindrical metal object struck Alejandro Otero’s home in Naples on March 8. His son, who was home at the time, found that space junk had torn off the ceiling and damaged the floor.

After the accident, the object was transferred to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

in Blog postNASA later confirmed that the object was part of flight support equipment used to mount the batteries on a charging platform.

NASA ground controllers used a robotic arm on the International Space Station to free the charging pad after installing new lithium-ion batteries. the Blog post Although the devices were supposed to burn up in the atmosphere, a piece of space junk reached Earth and hit the home in Florida, he said.

NASA officials confirmed that the object, made of Inconel alloy, weighs 1.6 pounds, is 4 inches high and 1.6 inches in diameter.

An attorney representing Otero’s family filed a lawsuit with NASA last May The law firm announced on FridayAnd request compensation for damages resulting from the accident.

“The damages to the Otero family members include uninsured property damage loss, business interruption damages, emotional/mental suffering damages, and the costs of third party assistance required in this process,” the law firm said in a statement. press release.

Lawyer Mika Nguyen Worthy called the lawsuit the first of its kind as a “real-life example” of what could happen if space debris reached Earth’s surface.

“My clients are seeking appropriate compensation to take into account the stress and impact this event has had on their lives,” Worthy said. “They are grateful that no one suffered physical injuries from this accident, but a near-death situation like this could have been catastrophic. If the debris had struck a few feet in another direction, there could have been serious injury or death.”

FOX 8 has reached out to NASA for a statement.