Carnival says “Safety issues are a major concern for the Carnival Cruise line and the full costs for Carnival will include passenger refunds, potential litigation and repair” But do they mean it? Especially the part about “full costs.” So far, they have only offered trivial payments to victims from the highly publicized accident aboard the Concordia disaster. Here is what they OWE passengers and crew – full and just compensation.
On the night of January 13, 2012, while passengers were in the dining room the crew misinformed them about the seriousness of this disaster. Apparently, the ship’s Captain, Franscesco Schettino, “unapprovingly deviated from the route it was initially programmed for, and; the Captain ever activated any alarms.
More problems for Captain Francesco Schettino and Carnival lie ahead, as evidence is compiled shockingly showing that the “captain was not wearing his reading glasses when the shipwreck occurred, and is said to have asked his first officer to check the radar.” What has not been explained is what Schettino was told and what he and his crew members did next to save the passengers and crew members. Everyone knows what he did to save himself.
Ship Captain, Franscesco Schettino remains under house arrest in his home town of Meta Di Sorrenta located near Naples, Italy. He is being held on a “string of charges including multiple manslaughter and abandoning the ship before evacuation of passengers and crew.” More recent developments have revealed the possibility that drugs and alcohol may have contributed to this disaster. “Traces of cocaine were found in hair samples taken of Captain Schettino”, according to the Associated Press. Furthermore, issues with lifejackets and evacuation safety proceedurs and the unavailability of an adequate number of life boats and safety procedures are examples of negligent acts that are still being investigated.
The Concordia disaster is considered “ the worst modern day maritime disaster” since the Titanic. Captain error and possible “gross negligence” of Captain Schettino, resulted in the loss of 32 lives and has forced many distraught survivors to seek counsel from cruise ship accident and injury lawyers across the world.
Though this accident is difficult to hide from the nominal payments that have beeen offerred by Carnival even with in the face of unquestioned liability and is not surprising says Miami maritime attorney Nicholas Gerson of Gerson & Schwartz, PA. It just goes to show “they are not serious about fair or reasonable compensation.”
After the wreck, the Costa Concordia Vessel shifted and it has become so dangerous that rescue operations have been postponed or delayed due to the serious risks involved. Another catastrophic outcome of this devastating maritime disaster are the, “50,000 gallons of fuel”that potentially “could spill into the pristine waters of the island which is a maritime reserve”. Lawsuits would follow from nation states and private interests regarding the likely serious environmental damage in the Mediterranean Sea.
So the question remains; What is Carnival Cruise Lines going to do to make up for all the loss of life and suffering it’s carelessness caused? So far it does not sound like much.
The Miami maritime lawyers of Gerson & Schwartz, PA have represented accident and injury victims for over 40 years. The firm represents passengers and crew members in various negligence cases including slip and falls, wrongful death, and sexual assaults against the cruise lines. If you or a loved one has been injured in a cruise ship accident contact the Miami Maritime Injury Lawyers of Gerson & Schwartz, PA. For more information, visit the firm website at www.injuryattorneyfla.com or contact us by sending an email to info@gslawusa.com