COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – Victims of a fatal 2019 boat crash that took the life of 19-year-old Mallory Beach have filed multi-million dollar claims against the estates of now-deceased Paul Murdaugh, who was purportedly driving the boat, and his mother, Margaret.

The claims are mechanisms by which the injured parties hope to collect damages, despite the defendants being dead.

Paul and Margaret were murdered at their Hampton County home in June of 2021. The patriarch of their family, disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh, has since been indicted on dozens of claims relating to various multi-million dollar money laundering and fraud schemes in which he allegedly stole money from clients.

Prior to his death, Paul was facing charges for the crash that happened February 23, 2019 near Parris Island.

Paul and five other friends were on the boat after a night of heavy drinking when it crashed, sending a few of them, including Beach, into the water. Beach’s body was found days later. The other passengers were injured — some severely — and taken to the hospital that night.

On January 20, Beach’s mother filed two $25 million claims against the estates of Paul and Margaret.

Morgan Daughty and Miley Altman, who were also passengers on the boat, filed $5 million and $2.5 million claims respectively against each estate.

The current representative of both estates is Paul’s uncle and Margaret’s brother-in-law, John Marvin Murdaugh.