Pixabay SCRANTON – Lawsuits filed by New York plaintiffs against a whitewater rafting company for negligent infliction of emotional distress, after the death of their brother and son during a rafting trip on the Lehigh River two years ago, have been consolidated. Matthew Bonnen and Caroline Bonnen of Roslyn Heights, N.Y. separately filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on Aug. 26 versus Pocono Whitewater, Ltd., of Jim Thorpe. “The facts and circumstances occurred on Sept. 1, 2018 at 12:45 p.m., while on a whitewater rafting excursion on the Lehigh River in Jim Thorpe, Carbon County, Pennsylvania. It is believed on the morning of Sept. 1, 2018, a dam release of 1,700 cubic feet of water per second was released from the Francis E. Walter Dam. A dam release increases the power of the rapids downstream,” the suits stated.