Cruise Ship Accident Lawyer Blog

Pleasure cruise sails into nausea and near-mutiny

September 26, 2017 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Passengers who book cruises for pleasure sometimes reach an unwanted destination. Our Miami cruise ship injury attorneys review numerous cases where lines do not meet the standard of care they owe to their passengers or adequately meet the challenges of unexpected mechanical problems or weather.

We recently learned about an intended pleasure cruise in Great Britain where 400 passengers battled seasickness for six hours while the craft confronted horrendous weather conditions. According to reports, the sick passengers engaged in a near mutiny as the craft underwent tilting and tipping in rough seas.

Pleasure cruise faces choppy seas

Teenagers are victims in shipboard assaults

July 31, 2017 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Teenagers are victims in shipboard assaults

Our Miami cruise ship injury attorneys see the peril of shipboard crimes such as sexual assault and the law’s inability to address these tragedies. These consequences are alarming for victims under 18 as these media reports show.

Cruise line offers apology and trip to assault victim

NTSB calls for improved maritime communications and weather forecasting

July 10, 2017 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Bad weather reports and communications cited in cargo ship sinking

As Florida cruise ship attorneys, we review the causes of a cruise ship or maritime accident. The National Transportation Safety investigated the death of 33 crew members in the 2015 sinking of a cargo ship in the most fatal maritime accident of its kind in 50 years. It preliminary findings revealed long-standing causes of these tragedies. The NTSB called for improved maritime communications and weather forecasting.

El Faro sails into hurricane

Maritime Injuries and Water-Based Activities

June 27, 2017 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

How to Avoiding Serious Injury During Water-Based Activities

During the summer months, many people in the Miami area enjoy recreational water activities like boating, jet skis, water skiing, and wake boarding. While these kinds of activities are undoubtedly enjoyable and often exciting, they also expose participants to a serious risk of injury. Below are some ways to minimize your risk of injury while engaging in water-based recreation. In the event that you are hurt while playing in the water this summer, it is important that you discuss your legal options with a Miami maritime accident lawyer as soon as you can.

Ensure that you have all proper safety equipment for your activity. Lifejackets or personal flotation devices should be worn on boats, and inflatable toys are not a substitute for a these lifesaving devices. Children should be outfitted with life vests, helmets, or other safety equipment that is properly fitted to their size.

Cruise ship trips not always smooth sailing

June 19, 2017 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Traveling on a cruise ship may be the idyllic vacation. However, passengers should walk on the gangway with open eyes. Ships may sail away from society but also carry its problems such as negligence, medical emergencies and crime. These vessels also have their own unique cruise ship accidents like passengers falling overboard.

Falling overboard and Passenger Illness

Passengers disappear from cruise ships. Reports show that 116 passengers were reported missing from cruises from 2011 through 2015. Ships are not immune from sickness. The relative proximity and close space may increase the spreading of flu and other contagious illnesses. Furthermore, physicians are less regulated because they may be licensed in any country or state.

Cruise Ship Drownings

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

Cruise lines have shipboard accidents unique to the high seas but also experience some of the same problems as hotels and parks on land. Cruise ships, like hotels, did not assign lifeguards to shipboard swimming pools and instead emphasized parental supervision. Some tragedies have occurred. If simple safety measures were in place, then more likely than not many of these tragedies could have been avoided.

Multiple Ship Drowning Incidents: What is the Cruise Line Industry Doing About it?

An 8-year-old boy drowned in a pool on Royal Caribbean’s International Anthem of the Seas last summer. In 2015, a family filed a lawsuit against that line and demanded lifeguards after a 4-year-old almost drowned in a wave pool on its Oasis of the Sea. Two years ago, a 6-year-old almost drowned on Independence of the Seas and suffered a brain injury.

Cruise line sued for Mother’s Day overboard death

May 8, 2017 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Cruise line sued for Mother’s Day overboard death

A get-away vacation cruise with girlfriends that was on the victim’s bucket list turned into an unthinkable tragedy for the family of a Carnival Cruise Line passenger. In one of the most serious cruise ship accidents, she fell off the ship and drowned in the Gulf of Mexico in May 2016. The Coast Guard ultimately shared the tragic news with her husband on Mother’s Day weekend and he had the unspeakable job of telling their four children. The family hired a cruise ship injury law firm and the family filed a wrongful death lawsuit. The lawsuit which was filed in federal court, includes allegations that are seen in other personal injury cases analogous to owners and operators of resorts provide reasonable safety measures for their patrons. In this particular case, the duty of care that is owed is a a duty cruise ship passengers.

The victim was obviously and seriously intoxicated on the evening of the accident and the crew continued serving her alcohol, according to the lawsuit. Shipboard video revealed that she later went on deck, stepped on a chair, climbed on the railing and sat with her back on the water. She then fell backward and into the water at 2:04 a.m. The plaintiff’s attorney said that the ship did not issue an alert, stop, slow down, turn or launch a lifeboat. The fall was videotaped with infrared cameras but was not viewed until later and the ship’s captain did not notify the U.S. Coast Guard for 15 hours after the fall was viewed. Friends told her husband that she was missing the next morning while the crew went to her cabin and posted her picture for other passengers.

Inadequate safety features blamed for cruise ship deaths

May 2, 2017 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Cruise ships can offer an idyllic atmosphere and experience for passengers. However, poor shipboard safety and training may turn a dream vacation into the most unwanted nightmare for passengers and their families. The harm from these maritime accidents may be compounded by the antiquated laws that govern cruise ship accidents and fatalities.

An Alabama couple was killed in a cruise ship on the Amazon last April after a fire broke out in their cabin. The deaths may have been prevented if the ship was equipped with its advertised safety devices and the crew was properly trained, according to a Peruvian Navy report.

The fire was attributed to short-circuit in a power strip provided by the ship and connected to a CPAP machine used by the male victim. The flames were confined to their cabin. However, the poor construction and tragedy compounded the fire’s impacted.

Pool Accidents on Cruise Ships Can Cause Serious Injuries

March 20, 2017 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

For many modern cruise ships, their pool (or pools, in some cases) are one of their main attractions. These pools and pool areas often offer entertainment, multiple bars, and activities for vacationers of all ages to enjoy. Unfortunately, they also expose people in and around the pool to a significant risk of involvement in a cruise ship accident.

When these incidents are the result of the negligence of cruise ship staff or defective pool equipment, victims can often recover compensation from the cruise line. Here are some of the types of hazardous conditions that could potentially entitle people to file a claim.

Inadequate Pool Maintenance

NTSB Says Human Error Caused Cruise Ship Crash in Baltimore

March 13, 2017 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Last year, passengers on a Carnival Cruise ship were horrified as their vessel crashed into a pier at a harbor in Baltimore. After returning from a weeklong trip to Florida and the Bahamas, the cruise ship approached the pier while traveling too fast, and was unable to avoid a collision. Luckily, no one was injured, but the incident raised questions about cruise ship safety. After a lengthy investigation into the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board has finally released its report on the episode.

Incident like these are not uncommon. If you were injured on a Carnival Cruise ship or any other type of cruise ship, our South Florida cruise ship accident attorneys can help.

Investigators Blame Ship Captains for Cruise Ship Accident