FORKED RIVER -- A moving boat propeller killed her husband and now the Forked River widow wants her day in court.

Kimberly Sturman, the widow of captain Jeffrey S. Sturman killed at sea in 2014, is pursuing a wrongful death suit, claiming negligence or "wrong acts" by all parties involved, said her attorney Lawrence W. Luttrell.

A civil action was filed in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey on Wednesday demanding a trial by jury and an undetermined settlement to cover losses suffered by the widow and her two minor sons.

Jeffrey S. Sturman, 47, died while trying to untangle lobster lines caught in his boat's propeller on July 26, 2014 in Ocean City, Maryland. After he detangled the lines, the boat went in reverse, restarting the propellers, and hitting the victim's head, Luttrell said.

He and three crew members had been fishing for tuna about 60 miles off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland aboard his sport fishing boat "No Worries," Luttrell said.

The suit names all parties involved with the sale and manufacturing of the boat, the lobster fishermen in the area at the time of the accident, and the crew members.

The lobster fishermen are named in the suit as Joe Doe 6-100, said Luttrell, since their exact identities aren't known - yet.

"There are only 94 licensed commercial lobster fisherman in the greater Atlantic Ocean and they don't issue any more licenses," he said.

Although the commercial fishing area is roughly 300 miles, lobster fishermen have to file a VTR, or Vessel Trip Report, which details the area traps or pots that are dropped.

"NOAH has this stuff and we'll subpoena it," he said.

Federal law restricts what kind of rope lobstermen can use as ground lines for their traps, Luttrell said. The lobster lines cut from the victim's propeller were in violation - float lines instead of the kind that sink.

One reason lobster fishermen prefer the float lines is in case a buoy goes down, the traps can be easily found and pulled up, he noted.

"It's basically the Wild Wild West out there. No one polices the area," he said.

The manufacturers of the vessel -- and anyone along the commerce line -- are also named in the suit.

Out Island Sport Yachts, Inc.; F&S Marine Services, LLC ; Panish Marine Services, LLC; and John Does 1-5 who manufactured, designed, repaired, refurbished, distributed, and/or sold the 2002 38-foot Out Island Express to the Sturmans, who owned the boat together, court documents show.

Also named in the suit are the men on board with Sturman: Kevin R. Hoffman and Bret Oberhauser of Forked River and Lawrence J. Hoffman Jr. of Lanoka Harbor.

The three told authorities they had no idea how the boat, which was idling, went in reverse while Struman was still in the water. That error ultimately caused Sturman's death when the propeller re-started and struck him in the head, Luttrell said.

"There is absolutely no foul play here. If someone on the crew hit reverse in error, it's understandable how that could happen. ... Then it's just the manufacturers and the lobster fishermen we'll go after," he said.

Defendants are being served now, Luttrell said, and once he subpoenas the VTRs, he expects a case management conference will happen in September or October.

Cindy Capitani may be reached at ccapitani@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @cindycap. Find NJ.com on Facebook.