Port of Bremerton to pay $350,000 to family of child attacked by otter

The Port of Bremerton has agreed to pay $350,000 to settle a lawsuit with the mother of a then-2-year-old girl who was attacked by a river otter and dragged into the Bremerton Marina in 2024.

"They're happy to have it resolved," said Christopher Froines, who represented the mother in the lawsuit, in which she accused the agency of gross negligence.

The Port of Bremerton doesn't admit fault or further liability, according to court documents detailing the settlement, which could be approved by a Kitsap County Superior Court judge Friday morning.

The family, who lived on a boat at the marina, was walking on the dock when the 2-year-old girl was scratched and bitten on her head, face and legs as she was dragged into the water, according to court documents.

When the girl resurfaced moments later, her mother Travyn Schiffner grabbed her out of the water. The otter then chased the family as they ran away.

Schiffner alleged the Port didn't take care of an otter problem in the marina that residents had told the agency about multiple times before, allowing dangerous conditions to exist on its property.

Almost a year before the attack, one tenant told Port managers in an email that the marina was "otter-infested and foul," the Kitsap Sun reported.

Most of the proceeds of the settlement money will be paid to the girl and her siblings, according to the court documents, while the remaining balance will go to Schiffner, minus any medical liens, administrative costs and lawyer's fees.

Schiffner and the Port could not be reached immediately for this story.

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