accident

$21.5 Million Verdict Against Holland America Cruise Line for a Faulty Door

December 11, 2015 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

A US District Court in Seattle awarded $21.5 million in damages to a man from Illinois who suffered injuries from a faulty door on a Holland America cruise ship. The man received a minor brain injury after a sliding glass door closed on his head. The sum was awarded by a unanimous decision by a jury after a nine day trial. If you were injured or lost a loved one aboard a cruise ship, consider contacting a Miami Cruise Ship Accident Attorney.

The attorneys for the injured man were able to provide evidence to the court that other passengers had been similarly injured by sliding glass doors in multiple Holland America cruise ships. Faulty sensor settings on the door allegedly are what contributed to these accidents.

The Illinois man was traveling with his family on a 280-day world cruise aboard Holland America’s Pacific fleet flagship, the M/S Amsterdam. The ship was in open water, approaching Hawaii, when the man followed cruise ship employees through the sliding glass door, which automatically closed when the man was half way through, striking him in the side of the head and face. Holland America argued in court that the man had walked into the closing doors and that the doors did not close on him. The closing doors gave the man a facial contusion, concussion and chipped tooth. Despite his injuries the man was still able to finish the entire cruise journey.

FBI Investigating Falling Death of Woman on Miami Cruise Ship

November 20, 2015 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

The FBI is investigating the death of a South Carolina woman after she fell from the deck of a cruise ship into the ocean off the coast of Cuba and was not found by the coast guard and cruise ship personnel. The Norwegian Cruise Line vessel was on a course from Miami to Cozumel, Mexico when the accident occurred. Authorities searched over 600 nautical miles for the woman before giving up search and rescue efforts. The FBI was called in to determine if there was any foul play or negligence that could have caused the incident. If you were hurt or lost a loved one aboard a cruise ship contact a Miami Cruise Ship Accident Attorney.

Can the Cruise Line be Held Responsible?

While not all the facts regarding this case have been discovered, could cruise liners hypothetically be responsible in these types of situations? In most cases, cruise ships are considered “common carriers,” which means that they have a responsibility to their passengers beyond just reasonable care. Cruise liners must take a very high degree of precaution to prevent injury or deaths aboard their ships and failure to do so could land them with a personal injury or wrongful death suit.

Help is Not Around the Corner

October 30, 2015 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

A Royal Caribbean cruise ship, the Splendour of the Seas, caught on fire in the engine room as the cruise ship was sailing in the Mediterranean near the Greek islands. The fire was so large that crew members had to remain at their emergency stations for hours on end. Passengers reported not feeling well and struggling with the constant smell of smoke. Some passengers and crew members had to be treated for smoke inhalation. Our team of cruise ship injury lawyers are not surprised by this news. If something goes wrong on a cruise ship that is out to sea, help is not around the corner.

This is not the first time Royal Caribbean has had a large fire on a cruise ship. For example, in July 2015, a fire broke out on the Freedom of the Seas as it traveled toward Falmouth, Jamaica. Additionally, in May 2013, a large fire suddenly developed on the Grandeur of the Seas and the crew battled with the fire for over two hours.

One passenger aboard the Splendour of the Seas reportedly stated that the ship was operating on just one engine resulting in a very rocky, turbulent trip. It was even difficult to simply walk around and numerous passengers are sick.

Where are the Lifeguards? Cruise Lines Must Take Safety Precaution Seriously

October 3, 2015 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

You take your family on a cruise featuring a huge Olympic-sized swimming pool on deck. Your kids are excited to get a chance to enjoy the water while on the ship. However, when you arrive at the pool you notice something quite troubling – no lifeguards. For our team of cruise ship injury lawyers, not having a lifeguard on duty is simply unacceptable and extremely dangerous.

As of the date of this posting, only Disney requires lifeguards to be on duty at swimming pools onboard cruise ships. You read that correctly – out of all the various cruise lines (e.g., Carnival, Viking, Winstar, etc.) only one liner requires on-duty lifeguards. The other cruise lines appear to have decided that since lifeguards are not legally required, they do not want to invest in this important safety precaution.

There does not appear to be any other legitimate reason for not having at least one lifeguard on duty at swimming pools on cruise ships, especially with so many ships being occupied by families with young children able to access the pools. The cruise ship industry has grown precipitously with mega cruise ships featuring massive pools utilized by hundreds of passengers. These cruise liners must understand that a drowning can occur in the blink of an eye. In fact, in many instances, a drowning situation may not even be recognized by a passenger until it is too late.

Delay in Care – A Major Risk with Cruise Ship Injuries

September 22, 2015 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

A 24-year-old woman fell and suffered serious head trauma while aboard a Carnival Victory cruise ship. News reports indicate that she is now fighting for her life and may be paralyzed unable to ever walk again. Our team of Miami cruise ship injury lawyers are shocked and saddened by this news report. It begs the question – could this traumatic injury have been prevented?

The details about what exactly caused the passenger to fall on the cruise ship remains a mystery, as of the date of this posting. However, what we do know is shocking. The young woman reportedly hit her head hard, but was not taken off the cruise ship through medevac to the hospital for six to eight hours, according to MyFoxBoston.com. In that six-to-eight hour delay, she suffered multiple strokes.

A delay of that length is wholly unacceptable. Why she was not medevacced immediately upon

What You Need to Know if You are in a Boat Incident in Florida

July 14, 2015 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

In 2013, there were 736 reported boating accidents in the state of Florida and over 60 of those accidents resulted in at least one death, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Furthermore, over 400 people suffered injuries in those 736 boat accidents. This is quite troubling to our team of Miami maritime lawyers. We want everyone to enjoy safe and memorable boating trips.

You may be asking yourself, “Why do so many accidents occur in Florida waters?” To be fair, Florida leads the nation in the total number of registered boats with nearly 900,000 on the books. Given the sheer volume of boaters, the risk of serious boating accidents rises.

Causes of Boat Accidents in Florida and Across the Country

Food Safety on Cruises is Often Overlooked

June 1, 2015 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

If you are a passenger on a cruise, you may be aware of a number of potential hazards (especially if you are a regular reader of this blog). You may be aware of slippery floors, excursion accidents, mechanical failures, and a number of other possibilities. But one thing we don’t give much thought to is food safety. How safe is the food that cruises are serving?

Report Looks at Cruise Food Safety

ProPublica has looked into this issue in a fascinating, interactive page that allows viewers to look at safety from each aspect of a cruise ship, from the kitchens to the pools to everything in-between. The site also allows you to search for the safety record for a particular cruise ship, although bear in mind there is no obligatory safety reporting required of cruise ships, so the database may not be completely reliable.