Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed by Corboy & Demetrio For Estate of Chicago Boat Captain Left to Drown in DuSable Harbor

Corboy & Demetrio has filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the estate of Nabil Abzal, affectionately known as Captain Bill, arising out of his tragic death last summer in Chicago’s DuSable Harbor.

The lawsuit, filed against the Chicago Park District’s contracted harbor management company, Westrec SMI OPCO, LLC, alleges that Westrec was negligent in its failure to perform specific and necessary security services required of it under its contract with the Chicago Park District, including roaming patrols between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.

As multiple news outlets originally reported, Captain Bill was found dead in the water of DuSable Harbor in the early morning hours of August 30, 2025. According to a proffer presented to the court by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, surveillance video recovered by the Chicago Police Department, as well as the subsequent autopsy by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, revealed that an altercation preceded Captain Bill’s death during which he was punched in the face and caused to fall into the water after he encountered a group of harbor trespassers on his boat. That alleged assailant, Alexis Trader, who was also named as a defendant in the lawsuit, has been charged with First Degree Murder.

According to Corboy & Demetrio Partner Daniel S. Kirschner, who represents the estate, “Captain Bill’s violent death was entirely preventable and should never have happened.” He added, “As our Complaint alleges, and as we believe the evidence will show at trial, Westrec contracted with and was paid by the Chicago Park District to provide security at DuSable Harbor and, instead, they abandoned the harbor where they were supposed to be and when it mattered most.” Kirschner concluded, “We don’t know at this point whether this is a case of corporate greed, indifference, or just incompetence, but justice for Captain Bill mandates that we find out.”

MEDIA CONTACT: Helen Lucaitis, Esq., HHL@corboydemetrio.com; 312-550-2077

Estate of Abzal v. Westrec, #2026L002001