Cruise Ship Accident Lawyer Blog

Family of Carnival Cruise Ship Passenger Killed In St. Thomas Shootout Sues Cruise Line

June 2, 2011 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

MIAMI, FL— June 2 2011 – Claiming that Carnival Cruise Lines failed to consider the potential dangers faced by travelers venturing around the island of St. Thomas, where there has been an upsurge of violence over the last few years, the family of a cruise ship passenger who was shot and killed on vacation last year filed a lawsuit against the cruise line. According to information provided by USA Today, a 14-year-old girl suffered a fatal bullet wound when gang-related gunfire broke out as she was riding in an open-air “safari bus.”

Reports indicated the young teen and her family boarded the 2,758-passenger Carnival Victory so they could travel to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. However, as the family was apparently leaving the popular Coki Point beach in an open-air safari cab, a gang-related shootout suddenly broke out. The 14-year-old Puerto Rican girl, who was identified as Liz Marie Perez Chaparro, suffered a fatal gunshot wound during the outburst of gang violence.

Additionally, 18-year-old St. Thomas man Shaheel Joseph sustained a bullet wound to the back of the head, which proved fatal at the scene. One additional Carnival cruise ship passenger apparently sustained minor injuries in the gang shootout.

While St. Thomas authorities recently charged a local resident with two counts of murder in connection with the fatal shooting, the teenage ship passenger’s family maintained that Carnival Cruise Lines should have been aware of the high risk of violence on the island.

Past reports suggested the 2009 homicide rate in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where there is a population of approximately 110,000, was about 10 times as high as the homicide rate in the United States, in which there was an average of five murders per 100,000 population.

Singer Sean Kingston Seriously Injured in Miami Beach Jet Ski Crash

June 1, 2011 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

MIAMI, FL—June 1, 2011 – Singer and Miami native Sean Kingston remained hospitalized with serious injuries on May 31, 2011, two days after the jet ski he was operating crashed into a bridge. Officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) stated that both the famed musician and a 23-year-old female passenger suffered injuries in the Miami Beach jet ski crash, as reported by CNN.

According to Joe Carozza, a publicist for Sean Kingston’s record label, Epic Records, “Sean Kingston is currently in critical but stable condition at Ryder Trauma Center at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center… Sean’s family asks for privacy at this time but is thankful to his friends, family and fans for their outpouring of prayers and well wishes.”

While details into the jet ski accident remained somewhat scarce, FWC spokesman Jorge Pino told Associated Press reporters that the 21-year-old R&B singer’s Sea Doo jet ski crashed into the Palm Island Bridge at approximately 6 p.m. on May 29. A female passenger, 23-year-old Cassandra Sanchez was also involved in the jet boat crash. Sanchez sustained undisclosed injuries and was also rushed to the hospital after the watercraft accident. The extent of Kingston’s injuries remained unknown.

Carmen Rivera was boating in the area when Kingston crashed his jet ski into the Miami Bridge. “They were calling us over, telling us, ‘He’s drowning, he’s drowning,’” Rivera said.

Though it was not clear what caused the well-known singer to apparently lose control of his watercraft and crash into the bridge, investigations into the violent Miami Beach jet boat accident were expected to be underway.

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) statistics suggested that during the year 2009, there were 736 boating accident fatalities, with approximately 1 in 4 recreational boating accidents (22 percent of the total count—4,730) involving personal watercrafts (PWC).

Search Continues For Boat Operator in Palm Beach County Crash That Left Victim With Head Injuries

May 26, 2011 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

MIAMI, FL— May 26, 2011 – The hunt continues for the operator of a boat that wrecked along the Intracoastal Waterway last weekend, causing a passenger on board to suffer serious head injuries. TCPalm reports stated that shortly after the boat crashed into an illuminated channel marker around 9:46 p.m. on May 21, 2011, the 21-year-old Jupiter man who was operating the vessel fled the scene on foot.

According to officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Timothy Doran was operating a 23-foot boat, which he was not the owner of, when it collided with a channel marker for unknown reasons. Jupiter police suspect that alcohol might have contributed to the injurious boat wreck. Nevertheless, the FWC is expected to conduct a full investigation to determine the cause of the boat crash.

One passenger aboard the crashed boat, 26-year-old Kai Woodstock, suffered critical injuries. Woodstock was flown to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach to be treated for severe head injuries sustained in the collision. Reports did not specify whether Woodstock suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the boating accident.

There were four additional passengers aboard the watercraft when the violent boat accident occurred, though it appeared as if only one of them, Eric Conerly, 25, suffered injuries. Conerly’s injuries were described as minor. Authorities did not know if Doran was hurt in the crash.

Statistics provided by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) suggest there were 4,730 recreational boating accidents, resulting in a total of 736 boating fatalities, during the year 2009. Investigations into the Palm Beach County boat crash are underway.

Search Continues for Bodies of 3 Ship Workers Reported Missing After Gulfport Boat Collision

May 24, 2011 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

MIAMI, FL— May 24 2011 – Two days after an Omega Protein Inc. pogy boat became involved in a collision with a Chiquita container ship in the Gulfport ship channel, the U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search for the three crew members who went missing after the boating accident. According to information provided by the Sun Herald, Coast Guard personnel continue to search for the bodies of the three workers who disappeared in the May 18, 2011 Mississippi ship collision, though they did not seem to believe there were any more survivors.

Reports indicated the 163-foot Omega Protein Inc.-owned Sandy Point was en route to the company’s plant in Moss Point, Mississippi when it collided with the 660-foot Eurus London, which was transporting crates of Chiquita bananas to Texas at the time.

While details concerning the ship collision remained scarce, the Coast Guard’s navigation rules state, “A vessel engaged in fishing shall not impede the passage of any other vessel navigating within a narrow channel or fairway… A vessel shall not cross a narrow channel or fairway if such crossing impedes the passage of a vessel which can safely navigate only within such channel or fairway.”

Relatives identified two of the three boating accident victims who were reported missing after the ship wreck as Lindsey Tucker and Roderick Watkins. According to Lt. Matthew Mitchell, commander center chief of the Coast Guard’s Mobile, Alabama division, “Recovery is still ongoing. Our hearts and our prayers go out to the families of those three gentlemen.” A full probe into the fatal boating accident was expected to be underway.

Coast Guard statistics suggest there were a total of 4,730 recreational boating accidents, claiming the lives of 736 accident victims, during the 2009.