Lifeguards: A Noticeably Absent Safety Measure on Cruise Ships
Earlier this month, a toddler nearly drowned on the Carnival Splendor. The incident occurred while the ship was in port in Miami, and the toddler was hospitalized. What was supposed to be a fun, memorable vacation for this family quickly became a nightmare. Unfortunately, many children have nearly drowned or drowned while on-board cruise ships. Florida cruise ship attorneys are taking on the cruise lines to demand that they improve safety on board. A simple solution to prevent these tragic accidents would be hiring lifeguards to keep an eye on minor guests as they swim.
Carnival, along with other major cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Lines, employs hundreds of crew members and staff to take care of their guests during their voyages. Many of the ships in the fleets of these cruise lines have special attractions for kids in their pools, such as water slides and other activities. Most cruise lines state that parents should closely supervise their children while they are using cruise ship pools. However, cruise lines cannot simply hide behind this request and avoid liability for dangerous conditions on board. In fact, due to the disturbing number of incidents that occur onboard cruise ships, Disney Cruise Line has started posting lifeguards at its pools.
Attempting to shift responsibility to parents is not practical. Most parents are not trained in CPR and other lifesaving measures, which is required of lifeguards. Additionally, parents are not familiar with the layout of cruise ship pools and pool decks. They may lose sight of their children as they play games or use pool slides. A posted lifeguard would be much more familiar with the ship environment and would be better able to watch children as they play.
In addition to hiring lifeguards to work on board, other safety measures cruise lines should take include having medical staff and medical equipment close by the pool areas in the event a passenger is injured. In some cases, the cruise staff took an unreasonably long period of time to attend to an injured child, who then passed away due to drowning.
Ultimately, cruise lines are responsible for the safety of their passengers. They have a duty to maintain safe premises and to remove any hazards that are present on the ship. Miami cruise ship drowning attorneys have represented a number of families who lost loved ones on cruises. These attorneys understand how to take on the cruise lines and hold them accountable for their negligence and recklessness.
Call today to set up a free consultation to discuss your claim
If you or a loved one was injured or killed on a cruise ship, contact the south Florida cruise ship injury attorneys at Gerson & Schwartz today. During your free consultation, we will discuss your possible claim and the action we may be able to take on your behalf. To schedule your consultation, call 877-475-2905 or visit our website at www.injuryattorneyfla.com.