Miami Resort Injury Lawyer Blog

The Titanic sank 100 years ago this April. Many lessons were learned from that fatal sinking. As a result of the lessons learned from the Titanic, the International Maritime Organization passed the Safety of Life at Sea Covenants (SOLA). All commercial vessels, no matter where the owner of the ship is based, must follow SOLA and the rules imposed by the International Maritime Organization.

SOLA has been amended and revised over the years. Specifically, the regulations have been overhauled five times since the original document was drafted shortly after the sinking of the Titanic almost 100 years ago.

One of the most critical components of SOLA is that all passengers shall be assembled within 24 hours after embarkation of the vessel to be instructed on the use of life jackets and the actions to take in the event of an emergency. It is not uncommon for passengers to be requested to bring with them their life jackets.

One of the apparent failures of the Costa Concordia shipwreck is that the vessel was only at sea for a short period of time when disaster struck. In other words, the passengers had not yet had an opportunity to engage in safety drills.

The lesson to take from that episode is to be proactive. Become an informed consumer. Learn about the ship's safety record. One can check the vessel's history by checking the U.S. Coast Guard's Maritime Information Exchange. If the vessel has a history of problems at sea, then you may wish to consider traveling on another vessels with a better safety record.

Once you have decided to book your trip, another important step may be to consider purchasing travel insurance. As with any insurance policy, there are many options and coverages to consider purchasing. For instance, once could travel insurance that only covers lost luggage and the contents in said luggage. Or, you could also purchase insurance coverage that would cover the entire cost of the cruise including flight to/from the port city if the cruise did not occur.

Another step to take that once you actually board the vessel is you should familiarize yourself with the rules associated with life jackets and life boats on your own, and during the initial moments of boarding the vessel. Don't leave anything to chance.

Another tip, especially if you're traveling out of the country, is to email yourself a photo of your passport's photo page. This way you could access your passport even if it was left on board of the vessel during a hasty abandon ship.

Continue reading "Cruise Safety is Back in the Spotlight Following the Recent Ship Wreck" »

Florida began a major motorcycle initiative in 2008 as it became aware of this startling fact:

Motorcycles make up about 6 percent of all Florida traffic accidents, but those dying in motorcycle crashes made up 18 percent of all traffic deaths. Compare that with 1997, when deaths involving motorcycles were 5 percent of traffic fatalities.

Consequently, our Florida motorcycle accident lawyers continue to be concerned about the high numbers of serious and fatal pedestrian accidents and bicycle accidents that are occurring on Florida roads.

The reason being is that head injuries remain the second-most common injury requiring hospitalization for bikers, with 29 percent of Florida's motorcycle crash deaths attributed to traumatic brain injuries.

Credit state officials for making a concerted effort to increase motorcycle safety which has resulted in an increase in helmet use amount motorcycle enthusiasts.

Lawmakers approved a 2008 law that requires all bikers to take training courses before receiving a motorcycle endorsement on their driver's licenses. FDOT's decision to raise awareness of motorcycle safety among other motorists was also a smart approach in dealing with a much larger issue.

This sensible approach to motorcycle safety is also vastly different than the approach taken by lawmakers back in 2000. At that time, riding helmetless was portrayed as an American right. Personal freedom, not actuarial sense, carried the day when state lawmakers passed a bill that was later signed into law that gave motorcycle enthusiasts aged 21 and older who carried at least $10,000 in personal injury insurance the right to ride bareheaded.

While the personal injury coverage requirement helps, the median hospital charge is five times the state's minimum $10,000 mandate.

Worse yet, almost half -- 49 percent -- of those biker emergency room visits and hospital stays in 2009 weren't covered by insurance, a cost shift that fell to other Floridians (many of whom don't own motorcycles), either in the form of higher taxes or increased insurance premiums.

However, the good news is that biker fatalities in Florida have dropped, although Florida remains one of the worst states when it comes to motorcycle crash deaths. Part of the reason why the number of biker fatalities have dropped is that more motorcycle enthusiasts are wearing helmets when riding their motorcycles. Indeed, numbers tracked by the State of Florida show a noticeable uptick in helmet use among South Florida bikers, particularly in Broward and Palm Beach counties. Last year, 55 percent of the surveyed bikers in Broward said they used their helmets, up from 49 percent eight years ago. In Palm Beach County, the figure was 47 percent, an increase of three percentage points from 2002.

As more motorcycle enthusiasts embrace the idea of wearing helmets, the hope is that the Legislature will entertain the idea of restoring the universal helmet law.

Continue reading "More Motorcycle Riders are Wearing Helmets More Frequently Leading to Less Fatalities on the Road" »

Have you ever walked into a hotel after a long day traveling only to hear a loud raucous party down the hall. Or, you hear the broken ice maker making that annoying clanking noise that is echoing through the hall.

For corporate jet-setters who need a good night's rest to propel them through on-the-road meetings and presentations, noisy hotel rooms can be the bane of their business trips.

Noise was the top hotel complaint cited by respondents in a 2011 survey of hotel guest satisfaction. It beat out smelly rooms, sluggish Web connections and rude staff.

Some hotels have taken a pro-active approach to combat the noisy room problem by having snore monitors patrol the hallways and also trying out snore absorption rooms.

Other irritants include slamming doors, chattering hotel staff, amorous couples next door, revving truck engines in the parking lot and leaking toilets.

Then there are bed bugs. Recently, we have seen an explosion of bed bug attacks on planes, in New York city, and in other hotels. Florida hotels have been cited for 81 infestations. This number includes 11 in Broward County and four in Palm Beach County. According to www.bedbugregistry.com Florida has 319 bug reports.

How about room service? Food poisoning at hotels is also on the rise.

Continue reading "Snore Monitors? Noisy Ice Makers? Bed Bugs? Top Nuisances for Hotel Guests." »

Costa Crociere SpA, a unit of the world's largest cruise ship operator, the Miami based Carnival Corp., is offering all uninjured passengers $14,460 apiece to compensate them for the lost baggage and psychological trauma after the shipwreck tragedy off Tuscany.

The cruise ship operator is also planning on reimbursing the passengers the full costs of their cruise, their travel expenses and any medical expenses sustained after the shipwreck when the cruise ship ran aground in the Mediterranean.

There were over 4,000 passengers on that ill fated cruise ship, from over 61 nations. This deal, however, does not apply to the crew on board of the ship. Nor does it apply to the people that were in fact injured, or to the families who lost loved ones.

The cruise ship gashed its hull on reefs off the island of Giglio after the captain improperly navigated the large cruise ship off its approve route in an effort to bring it closer to the Giglio coast line. Some 4,200 passengers and crew were hastily evacuated after the Concordia ran aground and capsized a few kilometers away near the port of Giglio.

Sixteen bodies have been recovered while another 16 remain missing. Passengers have said that the evacuation was chaotic. Adding to the chaos is the fact that the captain did not remain on board during the chaotic evacuation.

While this incident was certainly the exception, and not the norm, it is still an example of the type of horrifying and frightening tragedy that could happen while on a cruise.

Continue reading "Costa Crociere Spa Makes Settlement Offer to Passengers on the Cruise Ship that Ran Aground and Capsized off Tuscany" »