Carnival Cruise Ship Passenger Goes Overboard on the Ecstasy

According to the United States Coast Guard, a Carnival cruise ship passenger fell overboard on a the Carnival Ecstasy over Labor Day Weekend.  But if you ask Carnival cruise lines, they have already publicly stated that the passenger was witnessed jumping overboard. If Carnivals version is the truth, then this is poor public relations in my opinion. Regardless, these are certainly very different versions of what happened. The cruise ship passenger has been identified as Rina Patel, of New York. The vessel was located about 15 miles off Grand Bahama Island. Our cruise ship lawyers are monitoring the situation. According to reports, USCG “man overboard procedures” were initiated. However, it is unclear what procedures if any Carnival followed and if they did, when they were initiated.  If the passenger in fact jumped, then there should be evidence to support Carnival’s public statement that the passenger was observed jumping. Yet, the USCG reports and other media outlets suggests negligence. However, what facts the investigation yields and what the CCTV cameras show will shed light on whether this was accidental or not.

As a maritime personal lawyer in Miami, Florida that has litigated many cruise ship cases against many  cruise lines operators including Carnival, it is astonishing that Carnival would come out and publicly state that the passenger jumped or committed suicide before any of the investigation or facts or details are revealed about the investigation.

The Cruise Ship Vessel Safety and Security Act mandates that serious crimes including missing person incidents  are reported immediately to the United States Coast Guard. However, there is no private right of action for failure to violate this important federal statute. So, while the guidelines by CVSSA are straight forward, there is virtually little in the way of a legal remedy in the event these rules promulgated by the US Congress are not followed.

Under federal maritime law, cruise ship operators owe a duty of reasonable care under the circumstances. So what is reasonable care under these circumstances? This question can only be answered by understanding the facts of this case. Was there an over service of alcohol? Or was this a result of a violent assault? As far getting to the truth, I would personally like to see Carnival investigate lay witnesses and take statements from passengers not just their own security personnel and safety officers. The nature and extent of the investigation should help us all learn the truth. Hopefully, the truth is something that Carnival is interested getting to the bottom of and finding out. At Gerson & Schwartz, PA our cruise ship lawyers are dedicated to finding the truth and using it in court rooms in order to provide justice to our client and promote safety for others.

If you or a loved on were injured in a cruise ship accident contact the Miami cruise ship injury attorneys about your case. Or visit us online at www.injuryattorneyfla.com. Call us today 1-877-475-2905.

 

 

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