Articles Posted in Cruise Ship Injury

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Costa Concordia is facing numerous lawsuits, all stemming form the cruise ship tragedy this past January. With over 4,000 people aboard, the cruise ship hit submerged rocks and capsized near Italy, killing thirty-two people and injuring many more. This week, a new lawsuit was filed by the Warrick family in Broward County Court against Carnival Corp. & PLC, the owner of the sunken vessel, alleging several charges including fraudulent misrepresentation, maritime negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

The Warrick family, made up of Amanda, Adrian and Brandon Warrick, are each seeking more than $75,000 in damages. Costa has offered each surviving passenger about $14,000 in compensation, but the siblings consider it to be “a slap in the face,” stating that the amount offered by Costa would not have covered their out-of-pocket expenses, “much less emotional damage.” According to filed court documents, the siblings “”suffered and will continue to suffer severe discomfort, injuries and sickness, severe mental anguish, pain and loss of enjoyment of life.”

Despite the cruise ticket contract, the family is filing their suit in the United States, as they would be barred from litigation in Italy because there is no contingency for personal injury in the Italian courts. They siblings are allowed to file because they purchased their tickets on Costa’s U.S. website. At present, most victims are relegated to the Italian courts because of the fine print in the ticket contract.

Concordia survivors file lawsuit in Lauderdale, www.sun-sentinel.com July 19, 2012.

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In the middle of summer, Karen Kollinger decided to take a two-night cruise to the Bahamas aboard Celebration Cruise Line’s “Bahamas Celebration” ship. The trip was anything but a celebration. On July 30, 2011, Kollinger was making her way down a staircase when “she was virtually catapulted out of her shoes,” according to her attorney. Kollinger was heading down a staircase aboard the ship when her heel got stuck under a raised metal strip that was supposed to be holding the carpet down. Kollinger fell head first down the staircase and injured her spine so severely that she required cervical spine surgery.

Kollinger filed suit against Celebration Cruise Lines in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida alleging that Celebration was “negligent in maintaining the stairs in a safe condition, which created a dangerous situation,” as stated by her lawyer. Papers filed with the court claim that the cruise line did not maintain the ship in a reasonably safe manner. Her attorney stated the ship was in calm waters and did not contribute to her fall. Additionally, the papers claim that Celebration failed to correct a dangerous condition that it was aware of or should have been aware of and as a result, Kollinger was injured.

Since the fall, Kollinger has amassed over $100,000 in medical bills, including expenses for her cervical spine surgery. Kollinger claims she has suffered a tremendous amount of both physical and mental pain as a result of Celebration’s negligence. The court papers did not specify the amount of damages Kollinger is seeking. Celebration has declined to comment on the suit.

Jupiter woman sues Celebration Cruise Line for negligence, damages, www.sun-sentinel.com May 9, 2012.

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A fifteen-year Iowa girl and her parents boarded a cruise ship in Fort Lauderdale on Christmas morning to set sail aboard Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas. On the last night of her ten-day cruise, the girl went to a teen dance club called Fuel. In the early morning hours, another fifteen-year old boy invited her to a party in his stateroom. Under the impression that she would be meeting others in his private room, she went with him.

When she arrived at his room, she only found one other man inside the room. The two refused to let her leave and both proceeded to rape her. Upon leaving the room, she immediately went to ship officials to report the attack. Following the report, Royal Caribbean notified the FBI and the Broward Sheriff’s Office, who boarded the ship to investigate when it docked at port. According to a Royal Caribbean spokesperson, the victim received counseling and medical care aboard the ship.

Twenty-year old Brazilian citizen Luiz Scavone was arrested in connection with the rape and is facing charges in Broward County for committing a lewd and lascivious act. He has been ordered to surrender his Brazilian passport and is being held in Broward County’s Main Jail on a $10,000 bond. The fifteen-year old boy who invited her to his room is being held at Broward’s Juvenile Assessment Center and has been charged with lewd and lascivious battery. His name has not been released because of his age.

Two arrested, accused of raping teen on cruise ship, www.sun-sentinel.com January 04, 2012.

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With several deadly outbreaks of the norovirus aboard cruise ships this past year alone, medical researchers have diligently working to find a preventative cure. Some researchers believe they have finally made a breakthrough. New research suggests a vaccine may be able to prevent the norovirus that has been ruining vacations and causing deaths for the past several years.

The norovirus has been referred to as the “cruise ship tummy bug,” often causing vacationers to suffer from cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. Dr. Thomas Hooton of the Miami Miller School of Medicine has the disease is “a mess and spreads like wildfire.” It spreads rapidly on cruise ships because the passengers are kept in such close quarters. Every year, 21 million cases of norovirus are reported in the United States alone.

Dr. Robert Atmar, a professor at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston believes that a vaccine will prevent the spread of infection and curb the number of reported illnesses. While questions still linger, a new study shows that participants who were given the vaccine were less likely to develop the stomach bug than those who were given the placebo. The bug also affected the vaccinated participants less frequently than the placebo participants. Similar to the flu, the norovirus has several different strains so doctors are working diligently to create a vaccine to prevent the most common forms. While the vaccine is not yet on the market, it is a step in the right direction to protecting passengers.

Vaccine might one day prevent ‘cruise ship’ stomach bug, www.USAToday.com December 09, 2011

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The FBI was called in to investigate the death of a newborn baby aboard a Carnival cruise ship this Saturday. The baby was found aboard the Carnival Dream ship in a guest room by a crewmember on Wednesday. The ship was docked in St. Maarten when the discovery was made and Carnival personnel reported the baby’s death to Dutch authorities.

Dutch authorities took custody of the baby’s body and subsequently interviewed the baby’s twenty-year-old mother, who was an American passenger. She was held in St. Maarten, but is expected to return to the United States within the next day or so. The FBI’s Evidence Response team was called in on Saturday when the ship returned to Port Canaveral in Florida. FBI agents searched guest cabins and interviewed both crewmembers and passengers.

The investigation is ongoing. FBI agent Couvertier stated, “due to the international and jurisdictional aspects involved with this incident, we are still working in obtaining facts and specific details. No one has been charged as we are still working on obtaining facts and gathering any available evidence. As a result, no information has been released regarding any suspect at this time.” The FBI is still coordinating with Dutch authorities, but has staid that Carnival Cruise Lines has been “fully cooperative” in this investigation.

FBI: Dead newborn found in cruise ship cabin, www.cnn.com October 16, 2011.

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