Cruise Ship Accidents/Incidents

Sarasota Resident Injured on Royal Caribbean

April 19, 2019 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

In February 2019, Casey Holladay, 26, was a passenger on the Mariner of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean vessel. He and his friends were having fun on a trampoline deck, a new attraction known as The Sky Pad. In this attraction, several trampolines were enclosed within a large cage. Those inside attach bungee cords to themselves via a harness and are given space to perform acrobatics. Holladay’s bungee cord snapped, causing him to fall 20 feet onto the hard deck of the cruise ship.

Holladay experienced a dislocated shoulder and fractured pelvis causing him to be permanently disabled. He is currently relying on a wheelchair for mobility and has several plates and screws in his pelvis. Holladay cannot bear any weight on his pelvis and is still must regularly see his physicians. He is expected to need at least one hip replacement in the future and extensive, long-term physical therapy. His lawyer has stated that he remains in a great deal of pain and will be permanently affected by his injuries. Holladay was initially kept in the vessel’s medical facility. It took hours for the vessel to return to Miami, Florida, where he was transferred to Jackson Trauma Center. He was admitted to the hospital for the next 10 days while he received treatment for his extensive injuries.

Royal Caribbean Closes Attraction

Mariner of the Sea Loses Passenger Overboard, Passenger Rescue

April 1, 2019 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

On March 19, when the Mariner of the Seas cruise ship was approximately halfway to Nassau from Miami, a passenger was reported overboard. Another passenger of the cruise ship shared live tweets and videos during the incident. He initially reported when an “Oscar, Oscar, Oscar” announcement was made aboard the ship. “Oscar, Oscar, Oscar” is the man overboard code for Royal Caribbean ships. Immediately following the announcement, search and rescue protocols were followed.The passenger overboard was successfully found, rescued, and returned to the ship. Royal Caribbean made a statement to Newsweek that the vessel’s crew was responsible for returning the passenger to the ship, and the passenger was treated by the cruise ship’s medical team.The mariner of the Seas left Miami on March 18, 2019. The vessel was scheduled for a four-night cruise that would include Nassau and Coco Cay in the Bahamas. It was scheduled to return to Miami in the early morning of March 22.

Unfortunately, overboard passengers are not rare on cruise ships. Every few months there are reports of a passenger going overboard, and in many cases, these stories have far less happy endings. Very few overboard passengers are found and returned to the ship so quickly.

If you fell overboard a vessel due to a lack of appropriate safety equipment or a loved one went overboard and was not found, you should speak with a Miami cruise ship accident lawyer from Gerson & Schwartz P.A. Our team has decades of collective experience, and we routinely handle cruise ship claims, from slip and falls onboard to crimes. If you were injured or lost a loved one on a cruise ship, do not hesitate to contact us online or call (877) 475-2905 to schedule a free consultation.

Florida Resident Christopher McGrory Dies From Fall on Cruise Ship

October 26, 2018 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Christopher McGrory, 29, was onboard the Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line’s Grand Classica for his bachelor party. What should have been a fun trip before his nuptials ended tragically. McGrory fell from an upper deck, landing on a lower portion of the vessel. He did not fall overboard. He was rushed to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Riviera Beach Fire-Rescue. The cause of McGrory’s fall is unknown, and the U.S. Coast Guard is investigating.

Unfortunately, McGrory’s story is not as rare as it should be. Falls on cruise ships occur frequently, though they are not always fatal. Many falls result in serious injuries.If you fell and suffered an injury on a cruise ship, or you lost a loved one in a significant fall, do not hesitate to contact a Miami cruise ship attorney from Gerson & Schwartz P.A. We are highly experienced cruise ship attorneys. If the fall was due to a defect or a dangerous condition on the vessel, we can represent you in pursuit of fair compensation. Call us at (877) 475-2905 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.

Cruise Ship Falls May Be Due to Crew Member Negligence

Lava Boat Tour in Hawaii Leaves 23 Passengers Injured

October 2, 2018 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

As of September, it appears the eruption of Kīlauea is slowing down. The National Park Service stated there was no significant incandescence visible overnight on Sept. 25th. No collapses within the Puʻu ʻŌʻō crater had been observed for over 10 days, and the lava flows had not expanded since Aug. 9th. The sulfur dioxide emissions rates had significantly decreased in multiple areas. This is good news for residents and visitors. However, since May 3rd, when the volcano began erupting anew, numerous people have been injured.

On July 16th, Lava Ocean Tours was operating a tour boat near the volcano when the boat was struck by molten lava. The U.S. Coast Guard’s policy is to not let vessels come any closer than 300 meters (984 feet) from the volcano’s lava has run into the sea. However, Lava Ocean Tours as operating with a special permit to go as close as 50 meters (164 feet) from the lava.

If your or a loved one were injured while on a tour boat, cruise ship, or other vessel, do not hesitate to contact an experienced cruise ship lawyer in Miami. At Gerson & Schwartz P.A., we are highly experienced in handling claims related to cruise ships and other vessels. You can reach us at (877) 475-2905.

73-Year-Old Man Goes Overboard Cruise Ship, Pronounced Dead

July 16, 2018 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

A passenger on the Seven Seas Mariner was reported overboard early morning on July 10. The 73-year-old man and his wife were on a 11-day Alaska cruise, which began in Vancouver. The vessel was on its way to Victoria, British Columbia, and just north of Neah Bay and Cape Flattery in Washington when cruise ship employers were made aware of the overboard passenger. Why the elderly man went overboard is yet unknown, though the cruise ship informed the Coast Guard that there is video of the man falling or jumping from an eight-deck balcony at 4:15 a.m. The passenger’s wife reported waking up around 4:30 a.m. to a breeze coming from the open balcony door, and at the time, there was no sign of her husband.

The ship contacted the Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound Command Center around 4:30 a.m. to report the passenger missing. The coast sent out two search helicopters and three rescue boats. They located the man the afternoon of June 10^th, and he was unresponsive. He was flown to an Emergency Medical Service crew on shore and them to the Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. If your loved one recently went overboard a cruise ship, do not hesitate to speak with an attorney. Our cruise ship accident lawyers at Gerson & Schwartz P.A. offer free consultations. Call us at (877) 475-2905.

The Seven Seas Mariner

Passenger Falls Overboard on Cruise Ship Without a Man Overboard System

June 1, 2018 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

On May 23, the U.S. Coast Guard announced it suspended the search for Brian Lamonds, 50, who went overboard a Carnival Paradise cruise ship approximately 85 miles west of Fort Myers, Florida. The cruise ship was traveling from Tampa to Key West, and was close to its destination when the Coast Guard was notified of Lamonds’ disappearance. The Coast Guard received a call at about 10 a.m. on May 22 regarding a missing passenger. Rescue crews including a Hercules aircraft, a Jayhawk helicopter, an Ocean Sentry aircraft crew, and the Coast Guard Cutter Isaac Mayo. Their search encompassed 3,059 miles.

It is unclear when Lamonds went missing from the ship and when Carnival Cruise employees on the ship were made aware of the potentially overboard passenger. There are many questions regarding whether Carnival Cruise delayed notifying the Coast Guard and whether the ship was equipped with modern safety features, such as a man overboard (MOB) system.

If you were injured on a cruise ship or lost a loved one recently, you should speak with a Florida cruise ship attorney from Gerson & Schwartz P.A. We are a full-service injury law firm with years of experience handling cruise ship cases. Contact us at (877) 475-2905 to schedule a free consultation and learn about your legal options following a cruise ship accident.

Georgia Family Announces Lawsuit Against Carnival

December 12, 2017 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Various sources are reporting that a Georgia family has announced its plans to sue Carnival Cruise Line. The suit is based on a particularly unusual situation whereby a teen that the family alleges was drunk entered their then 10-year-old child’s room and laid in bed with him during a 2016 Bahamas cruise.

The family stated that they were on the Carnival Victory ship sailing out of Port Canaveral on June 6, 2016. They sailed with their son and his cousin, and booked a room across the hall from the parents for the two children.

On the day of the incident, the parents claimed that they closed the door to the children’s room, so that they could nap, and went back to their room across the hall. Sometime later, as the father went to check on the children, he claims that he found an intoxicated 18-year-old lying in bed next to his son. The father stated that he grabbed the teen and alerted security, who then contacted the parents of the teen.

Norovirus Outbreak on Series of Australia Cruises

November 7, 2017 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

The Celebrity Solstice ship has reportedly been dealing with a series of Norovirus outbreaks, according to reports and a recent passenger’s statement. The passenger stated that he and his wife had been informed of the prior outbreak of the gastrointestinal virus after their ship left the Sydney port for Auckland. The passenger claims that it was not until the ship left Melbourne that the captain announced to passengers that an earlier cruise had an outbreak of the Norovirus, and informed guests to take extra sanitary precautions such as extensive hand washing and using hand sanitizer.

In a statement, Celebrity Cruises reportedly confirmed cases of the illness in passengers and crew, and claimed that it had sent a text message about the outbreak in informing passengers that it would need additional time to clean the ship.

Norovirus can be transmitted through infected food or water, by personal contact, or with contact with a surface that has been contaminated.

Child Falls From Ship in Tragic Miami Port Cruise Accident

October 25, 2017 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

According to the Miami Dade Police Department and various news sources, earlier this month an eight year old girl fell two stories from an interior deck on the Carnival Glory cruise ship while the boat was docked at PortMiami. Sources reported that the child, from the Bahamas, was on the ship cruising with her family.

The little girl had reportedly been waiting to disembark with her family, and was standing near a railing with her little brother when she fell. The girl was then taken to the ship’s medical center before being transferred to a hospital where she died.

A spokesperson for Carnival stated that the fall appeared to be an accident, and that the railing where the girl was standing was believed to have been 47 inches high. It is unclear from the statement whether the railing failed, the girl somehow fell over or through the railing, or something else happened that pushed the child over the ledge. In any event, it is an unfortunate tragedy.

11th Circuit Rules Against Plaintiff with Matching Broken Wrists in Controversial Cruise Ship Injury Opinion

October 5, 2017 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals reached a rather controversial opinion last month in the case of Pizzino v. NCL (Bah.) Ltd., 2017 U.S. App. (2017), where it essentially endorsed the position that even if a cruise line employee creates a hazardous condition resulting in an accident, the plaintiff must prove actual or constructive notice in order to receive compensation for resultant injuries.

In the case, an employee of the cruise ship was engaging in his duties that required him to mop the area within a coffee bar area. He transported two buckets, one filled with a water and bleach solution, and another with clean water (presumably to cleanse the area following the bleach). On the evening of the incident, although the employee testified that he did not spill the water nor see it spilled, the plaintiff’s husband testified that the surveillance footage of the area seemed to indicate that one of the buckets tilted and collided with the employee’s knee, perhaps spilling the water. There was no evidence mentioned in the appeal that anyone else may have spilled water.

Shortly after the employee had retrieved the buckets of water, the plaintiff slipped and fell forward sustaining several injuries including broken wrists. Though she did not see any water prior to her fall, after the incident she noticed that there were four to six inch puddles of water on the floor. There was no wet floor sign present at the scene.