Cruise ship gone awry and people injured.
Cruising isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be!
Over the weekend you may have heard about yet another big cruise ship incident. This one in Norway, where it took off big boatload of happy people. They got just a few miles off the coast, in bad weather, the engine stops. They’re sitting ducks out there, back and forth. There were many people injured. They got to helicopter them off. The question I was asked on the radio was at this level, is it just because there are more cruise ships than there ever have been so there’s a better chance of something like that happening? Or is there literally something negligent in sending a ship out in that weather. You see weather coming far better than you could ten years ago.
Negligence?
Well, I think this was a combination. They should have seen the weather. Norwegian Cruise Lines is launching their own investigation as to why the ship kept sailing despite the bad weather. The weather in the North Atlantic this time of year, I’m not sure I would go out there ever. I’m not sure I’d go out there if I was on an aircraft carrier, let alone a cruise ship. Then they had mechanical problems. That’s the other thing is, how good is the maintenance? If you’re going out in the North Atlantic this time of year, you better make sure your ship is really seaworthy.
It’s interesting. You take a cruise, your legal rights are incredibly complex. Even if you take your cruise from the United States, because a lot of these ships are not licensed in the United States, maritime- making the law totally different. And even, say, you go from the United States, at best if you leave from Florida, you might be bound by the laws of Florida. Or you might have signed your rights off when you buy your ticket that you have to sue in Panama or wherever the ship is licensed – in this case, Norway.
Your legal rights require a very specialized field of law to go against cruise ships.
Your legal rights require a very specialized field of law to go against cruise ships,because it is extremely complicated, multiple laws are involved. Buy insurance, buy health insurance, and buy evacuation insurance when and if you’re going to take a cruise. Investigate the cruise ships and hope you never need to get a lawyer because it’s incredibly difficult and arduous.
Other Issues
You also should consider issues aside from the maintenance of the ship itself, the weather and possible sea sickness from that, there are also issues of food-bourne illnesses and viruses. Because there’s too many people crammed in a small area.
Remember, don’t go it alone. Phone 1-800-608-3333, Stanley, Stanley Law. Although we don’t focus at our firm on suing cruise lines, we can refer you to someone who does. If you or someone you love is ever in a similar situation to those poor folks in the North Atlantic this past weekend, you’re going to need someone in your corner who does that work, you cannot go that one alone.
