Mississippi transportation officials want a tug boat company to pay up for allegedly causing more than a $500,000 in damage to the drawbridge on Cowan-Lorraine Road in Gulfport.

The state Transportation Commission filed a lawsuit last week against Alabama-based Cooper Marine and Timberlands Corp., which owns and operates a tugboat named Ashleigh.

The Ashleigh and its barges in tow struck the drawbridge on Oct. 7, 2021, causing some $584,911 in damages.

The commission claims the accident was caused by the “fault, carelessness and negligence” of Cooper Marine and the Ashleigh. Specifically, they say the Ashleigh was not seaworthy, that the vessel was a “menace to navigation,” and the company did not staff the vessel with a crew attentive to its duties, among other items.

The state wants reimbursement for what it spent on repairs, and for the Ashleigh to condemned and sold to pay help pay the bill.

A lawsuit represents only one side of a legal argument. Cooper Marine has yet to file a response to the suit filed in federal court.

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