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" »

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" »

A fire broke out on board the Carnival Cruise Lines ship Carnival Splendor. The fire broke out while the ship was approximately 150 miles away from San Diego. Fortunately, there are no reports of any injuries. Tug boats are expected to help tow the cruise ship to the Mexican port of Ensenada.

News reports state that the ship has 3,299 passengers and 1,167 crew members on board.

The fire broke out in the ship's engine room. The power needed to be cut off as a result of the blaze and generators are being used for the ship's navigation equipment.

With the power being shut off, guest are certainly not relaxing in the lap of luxury. The ship's engineers were unable to restore toilet service and cold running water until Monday evening. Guests are getting bottled water, but are being served cold food. Air conditioning and telephones are also unavailable.

In a news release from the Carnival Cruise Lines president and CEO, Gary Cahill thanked guests for their patience and expressed his concern for the difficult situation the guests find themselves in. He also stated that the safety of the passengers and crew were his top priority and that the company was working hard to get all of the guests home as quickly as possible.

If you, or a loved one, have been injured while aboard a cruise then please contact our office to discuss your legal rights. We do not charge for the initial consultation, and if we don't make a recovery on your behalf then you do not owe us attorney fees. Call us today.

A new law was recently passed requiring cruise ships to implement new procedures in order to protect its passengers from the victims of a crime or injury. Although the cruise industry has already voluntarily adopted some of these precautions, the Cruise Vessel Safety and Security Act of 2010 makes many of these injury preventing measures requirements. Nevertheless, some critics have derided the law stating the requirements are burdensome.

So, what are some of these supposedly "onerous" requirements. Here is just a small sampling of the new requirements:

(1) the installation and maintenance of video surveillance cameras,
(2) the staffing of medical personnel trained in responding to victims of alleged sexual assault,
(3) the publication of crime statistics for each cruise line, and
(4) all new cruise ships must install security latches and time-sensitive key technology in staterooms.

How are these measures considered a burden? They simply ensure the safety of passengers and serve to hopefully prevent them from becoming victims of crimes. This is certainly not a burden, but a blessing. A greater burden is having to deal with the physical, psychological, and emotional effects of becoming a victim.

With these measures now in place, passengers can cruise with a greater sense of security. Certainly, the cruise industry will have to pay to implement these new requirements.

However, what critics fail to realize is that increased safety may result in increased bookings, especially in light of some of the bad publicity cruise ships have been receiving as of late. In turn, more money will flow to cruise company coffers. This law is simply a win-win situation for both passengers and the cruise industry.

Continue reading "New Law Passed to Help Curb Negligence at Sea and to Protect Cruise Ship Victims of Violent Crimes" »

The President recently signed into law a piece of legislation regulating cruise ship safety and transparency. As reported in the USA Today, the new law mandates crime reporting, requires aid for rape victims, and forces all ships have cabin peepholes and guard rails at a certain height.

Specifically, the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act requires following:

• Cruise ships shall erect 42 inch guard rails, and peepholes in the cabin doors of every passenger and crew member;

• Cruise ships shall have on deck video surveillance systems and emergency sound systems installed;

• Cruise ships shall maintain a log book that records deaths, missing people, and allegations of any crime;

• Cruise ships shall be required to have rape kits on board, and medications to prevent sexually transmitted disease, and a trained sexual assault specialist to be on board each ship;

• The new shall also mandates that all crew members shall receive training in preventing and detecting crime, as well as preserving evidence and reporting crimes in international waters.

While many cruise lines, and crew ships, were already adhering to many of the of the components of this new law, this new law is a step in the right direction to change the public perception associated with one's safety while a passenger on a crew ship. Public perception has grown over the years that cruise ships are not safe in light of the many unfortunate incidents that have occurred on cruise ships over the past few years.

Continue reading "Legislation Aims to Make Cruise Ships Safer " »