Pascoe Law Firm
Cruise Ship Injury Lawyer
Principal office located in Friendswood, Texas.
Available to service League City, Webster, Pearland, Galveston, and the surrounding areas within Texas.
Cruise Ship Injury Lawyer
Causes of Cruise Ship Injuries
Passenger Accidents are quite common on cruise ships. There are many things that can go wrong during a cruise and most passengers are completely unaware of the many possible causes of harm that exist on a cruise boat and at port. These injuries include the following:
- Gangway Accidents: Gangways are the narrow ramps or passages used by passengers to embark or debark from a ship. Gangway accidents usually involve either slipping on wet or slippery surface areas, steep inclines, steep declines, lack of crowd control, negligent supervision, and tripping over uneven panels, and other unsecure surfaces located at the top of the gangway where it meets the boat.
- Illnesses and Food Poising: Illnesses that result from the contamination of food or ship supplies. The confinement of many people on board a single ship makes it relatively easy for diseases to spread once an outbreak occurs, which makes it extremely important that each ship’s crew is diligent about sanitation, disease prevention and early detection of outbreaks.
- Slip, trip and fall accidents: There are numerous ways that a passenger can suffer a fall on a cruise ship. Wet or uneven surfaces account for the majority of slip, trip and fall cases, but obstacles placed in the path of travelers and the lack of warning signs may contribute as well.
- Rape and/or Sexual Assault: Physical or sexual assault by a crew member or by other passengers. Both criminal and civil charges can be filed in the event that a traveler should be the victim of physical or sexual assault. These injuries are simply inexcusable and it is the responsibility of cruise companies to screen their employees properly and take immediate action whenever a customer files a complaint or cites concern with an employee.
- Disappearance of passengers: travelers may find that a loved one is unaccounted for and may have been abandoned at port or suffered some ill fate. Cruise companies are responsible for the wellbeing of passengers and accounting for all those who are on board.
- Drugs or Alcohol: Intoxicated crew members or other passengers can cause accidents that result in injuries to themselves and passengers. When these incidents occur, the cruise company may be held liable for any harm that befalls a passenger while a crew member is under the influence.
- Excursion Accidents: Cruise lines often argue that they are not responsible for “off-ship” injuries to their cruise passengers because of a signed waiver of liability clause. Additionally, they try to argue that company proving the excursion is an “independent contractor” over whom the cruise line had no control.
Common Cruise Lines and Cruise Ships
List some of the more common cruise line companies that provide service in the United States are:
- Carnival Cruise Line
- Celebrity Cruises
- Costa Cruises
- Cunard Line
- Disney Cruise Line
- Holland America Line
- MSC Cruises
- Norwegian Cruise Line
- Princess Cruises
- Royal Caribbean International
Pascoe Law Firm
Friendswood, TX 77546
Phone: 713-829-4317
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The Port of Galveston has several cruise ships that make stops to Galveston, Island. The following are some of the cruise ships that depart from the Port of Galveston are currently:
- Carnival Dream
- Carnival Freedom
- Carnival Vista
- Disney Wonder
- Enchantment of the Seas
- Liberty of the Seas
Galveston has two different facility locations that cruises depart from to start or end their voyage both located at 2502 Harborside Dr., Galveston, TX 77550.
Cruise Ship Safety Statistics
According to the the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), National Geographic, and BBC the following safety statistics show the potential danger of getting hurt or injured upon a cruise ship. Safety statistics or cruise ship safety include:
- In 2017 and the first quarter of 2018, there were around 100 serious crimes reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The most common crime was sexual assault, of which there were 72 incidents reported over that 15-month period.
- Since 2000, reports say roughly 300 people have fallen overboard. There were 17 cases in 2017 and so far in 2018, there have been five.
- Since 2005, there have been 448 major accidents reported.
- Between 2005 and 2011, 16 people died in accidents.
- Since 2000, around 300 people have fallen overboard. There were 17 overboard incidents in 2017 alone.
- Between 1979 and 2013, 55 cruise vessels sank, with 15 of those occurring between 2010 and 2013.
- From 1972 to 2011, 98 cruise ships ran aground. Between 2005 and 2013, 66 passenger ships reportedly ran aground.
Cruise Ship Illness Statistics
As stated, cruise ship injuries are quite common, but so are illnesses while onboard a vessel. Due to the close quarters, illnesses such as viruses and other infections can quickly spread and contaminate thousands of people. Consider these statistics about illnesses on cruise ships:
- Norovirus is considered the most likely cause of illness on cruise ships. Every year in the U.S., there are an estimated 19-21 million cases causing over 56,000 hospitalizations.
- Between 2010 and 2011, there were 14 outbreaks of gastrointestinal viruses on cruise ships.
- In 2012, there were 16 gastrointestinal illness outbreaks.
- In 2013, there were nine outbreaks.
Attorney for Cruise Ship Accident and Cruise Ship Injury
Resources
- https://www.portofgalveston.com/9/Cruise
- http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20120127-travelwise-what-is-the-safest-mode-of-travel
- https://www.transportation.gov/mission/safety/cruise-line-incident-reports
- https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/01/140128-cruise-ship-royal-caribbean-nation-health-science-virus/
- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/features/cruise-overboard-safety-travel-spd