A passenger ferry making the regular crossing to the Statue of Liberty made a hard landing, which resulted in a number of injuries to the passengers onboard. As a popular tourist destination that hosts international visitors and Americans from all over the country, it is likely that those involved were from a wide variety of locations, including Miami, Florida.
According to the Maritime Executive, the incident occurred on Aug. 27, 2013 in the afternoon, and the exact cause of the hard landing remains unknown. However, it has been confirmed that 497 passengers and nine crew members were onboard the ferry, which was travelling from New Jersey to Liberty Island when the incident happened. Although the initial report stated that the accident resulted in nine maritime injuries, some reports show this figure is too low.
Injuries at Sea
Injuries that occur at sea are more common than most people think. There are so many potential unexpected occurrences and hazards that it is hard to prepare for all of them. Those who work at sea are at a particularly high risk of personal injury because of the increased amount of time spent on the water. Ferry and cruise ship passengers are also at risk as has been demonstrated in the incident at the Statue of Liberty. In Miami, Florida, a substantial number of residents work on the coast, so there is a fairly high rate of maritime injury.
In many ways, the passengers onboard during this incident were fortunate because only minor injuries were sustained. However, in the last few years, there have been many cases of cruise ship accidents that were much more devastating.
Maritime law covers several areas, one of which is personal injury to passengers. Maritime injury is not well understood by most people, but if you have been affected by an accident and have sustained a personal injury at work, as a passenger on a ferry, while riding on a cruise ship or while partaking in water sports, you may be owed compensation.
Gerson & Schwartz: Miami Maritime Injury Lawyers
Contact Gerson & Schwartz, P.A. a Miami Florida-based law firm that has many years of experience representing individuals who have suffered injuries at sea. If you or someone you know has sustained such an injury, call 877-475-2905 for a free consultation with one of our attorneys. You can visit our website for information about maritime injuries.