San Francisco Injury Lawyer Blog
Monday of this week, a Carnival Splendor cruise ship with nearly 4500 passengers, 52 of whom were senior citizens, became stranded off Mexico’s Pacific Coast. A fire in the engine room caused the ship to lose power Monday morning, only one day after it left port in Long Beach for a seven-day Mexican cruise. Because they were without power, passengers were forced to wait in hot, dark rooms, and eat rations delivered to the ship by the U.S. Navy when the ship’s refrigeration system lost power. In addition, passengers had to cope with limited food, long food lines, stinky toilets, no showers, and no lights. The only food available was canned Spam and Pop-Tarts. One passenger, a diabetic, said she did not have sufficient food to take her insulin. When her husband asked a crew member for food for his wife, he was told to give her a Tic-Tac. The National Transportation Safety Board announced Thursday that it had begun an investigation and Carnival has announced that everyone will receive a full refund.
According AOLnews.com, only one passenger suffered an injury, related to a slip and fall, but all the other passengers on the cruise left the ship safe and healthy. However, the situation could have ended- up much worse– considering the age and physical conditions of the some of the passengers– and carnival could have faced serious personal injury lawsuits–or even a wrongful death suites. For example, that woman who was unable to take her insulin could have become very ill or fallen into a coma if the ship had not been rescued in time. These kinds of cases can be tricky because they are generallly governed by the terms of the ticket and usually have a shortened statute of limitations or time within which to file a lawsuit.
If you have questions regarding personal injury law or if you have been injured while on a cruise and need an attorney, please contact our office for a free consultation. We have over 10 years experience helping injured parties get the compensation they deserve, and we will fight for your legal rights.