Student's Snorkeling Death Lawsuit, Road Rage Firearm Charge and 12-Year Sentence in Bike Thefts

By Greg Hambrick

A Falls Church family has filed a civil lawsuit following their daughter's 2012 death during a Semester at Sea program in the Caribbean.

Casey Schulman, a 22-year-old University of Virginia student at the time, died last December in Dominica. She was struck by the propeller of a catamaran during a snorkeling excursion.

Seeking funeral costs and other monetary relief, the civil complaint was filed in federal court in Miami against the Institute of Shipboard Education, which does business as Semester at Sea, Anchorage Hotel, Global Citizens Travel, and Fountaine-Pajot S.A. 

Also, October is Fire Prevention Month. There are two fire incidents — a mulch fire and a candle fire — included in our daily digest of news of note from around our Patches in Virginia and DC. See more below.

• Fire Department Responds to Mulch Fire in Franconia
• Man Charged with Assault on Police Officers, Drunk in Public
• Falls Church Family Files Lawsuit in Death of Daughter in Caribbean Boating Accident
• Wife of Libertarian Candidate for Governor Makes Video Plea to Include Him in Debate
• SPANX Hosts 'Booty Bash' At Tysons Corner Center
• Road Rage Incident Leads to Arrest for 'Brandishing a Firearm'
• Arlington Board Sets Limits on How Long Dogs Can Be Tied Up
• Arlington Bike Thief Sentenced to 12 Years
• Woman Struck in the Head With Pipe During Robbery
• Developer Offering $500K in Proffers to Reston Association for Piece of Lake Anne Land
• Mel Bergheim: 'A True Democratic Statesman'
• Candle Causes Serious Townhouse Fire, Displaces 3 in Fairfax
• Herndon High Football Player Sets Record, Featured in Magazine
• NOVA-Annandale Student Sexually Assaulted on Campus
• Burke Students Selected for 2013 Virginia Honors Choir