Carnival Cruise Line Back in the News as Two Passengers Suffer Fatal Falls

Carnival Cruise Line is back in the news this week, with yet more tragedies- as two passengers have died in just a few days aboard their ships.  Both cases involve female passengers- the first victim died after she fell several decks from her stateroom balcony Friday night while onboard the Carnival Elation en route to the Bahamas.  The second woman- fell overboard the Carnival Triumph while at sea in the Gulf of Mexico, enroute to Cozumel, on the second day of a five day cruise that started in New Orleans.

These two fatal falls onboard Carnival cruise ships occurred less than a week apart during the first weeks of 2018 and after the terrifying year of 2017; where the cruise industry saw more than 46 passenger deaths, 30 of which are described as unnatural causes.  The large number of cruise ship fatalities include 10 passengers or crew members who died after falling either overboard or from a balcony.

Statistics from 2017’s cruise ship fatalities was particularly significant because the figure includes the deaths of 11 Celebrity Equinox cruise ship passengers (including 11-year-old Daniel Behar) who died in an excursion bus tour on their way to the Chacchoben Mayan ruins near Tulum.  Additionally, three people were killed aboard cruises, including the alleged murder of 39-year-old Utah woman, Kristy Manzanares by her husband.

Deaths on cruise ships can occur for the following reasons:

  1. Natural Causes
  2. Medical Malpractice committed by onboard doctors and nurses
  3. Failure to transport a severely injured passenger to shore
  4. Slip, trip and fall injuries
  5. Overdose of alcohol or drugs
  6. Murder
  7. Suicide
  8. Drowning
  9. Missing
  10. Port or Excursion Accidents
  11. Natural Disasters, storm and ship movement
  12. Fire
  13. Sinking (Costa Concordia).

People reading this should not be afraid of cruising.  I am a cruise ship passenger injury attorney, and since 1991 I have personally investigated thousands of passenger injury and accident claims around the world- cruising is one of the safest and most exciting ways to vacation and travel.  The seemingly large number of deaths on cruise ships is surely related to natural causes and to the elderly demographic that likes to cruise. Given that nearly 22 million people are expected to cruise in 2018- the odds of dying aboard a cruise ship is miniscule.

Accidents and accidental deaths on cruise ships should be investigated by an experienced maritime personal injury lawyer.  We recommend that you do not rely upon the cruise line’s security team nor law enforcement to fully investigate how, what and why an accident occurred.

SPEAK TO A CRUISE SHIP ACCIDENT LAWYER TODAY: Call 1-866-597-4529 to find out exactly what to do after a cruise ship accident.

Our maritime personal injury law firm has successfully represented people from around the world in slip and fall, trip and fall, sexual assault and other kinds of claims against cruise lines like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian, MSC, Disney, Holland America, Princess, Costa, Regents Seven Seas and Oceania since 1991.  Call us today toll free 1-866-597-4529 and let our years of experience help you hold the cruise line accountable if it put its profits ahead of your safety.