Cruise Ship Fights & Brawls
Fights, Brawls, and Angry Mobs On Cruise Ships
A massive fight broke out on board the Carnival Venezia recently between two large groups of guests of the ship. This fight, which was captured on video and spread throughout the internet, shows punches being thrown, legs kicking each other, and all around violent aggressive behavior that one would not expect on board a vacation cruise ship. One thing people tend to forget about cruise ships is how they are practically indistinguishable from small cities. With jail cells, medical facilities, restaurants, spas, apartments and waste management centers, cruise ships are equipped with virtually the same amenities as a city. This means that cruises also have to deal with the same problems that cities have to handle. These problems include theft, sexual assault and rape, viral pandemics, and of course aggravated assault and battery.
As a lawyer who has been suing cruise ships for undermining the safety and security of their passengers for multiple decades, however, I can attest that the cruise industry has certain flaws that can serve to augment or exacerbate the likelihood of these aforementioned problems when compared to your average city.
Why Are Fights Taking Place On Cruise Ships?
Cruise ships are concentrated cities which encounter the same obstacles as regular urban areas; at times to a more potent extent. I believe there is a combination of factors that make cruise ship fights as common and dangerous as they are.
For one, cruise ships consistently over serve their passengers alcohol. Alcohol is easily one of the most profitable and financially imperative commodities on board cruises. Massive cruise lines such as Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean, and even Disney Cruises market and provide packages for the consumption of alcohol on an extreme level, including unlimited drink packages with very few exceptions or procedures in place to prevent poisoning or excessive inebriation. It goes without saying that combining an already hedonistic crowd with an unlimited source of alcohol can create dangerous situations; not only for those drinking but also those surrounding the alcohol such as children or other passengers. Through my representation of dozens of clients who have been over-served alcohol, I have met with multiple expert toxicologists who have testified that cruise lines repeatedly and unhealthily over-serve alcohol without regard for their passenger’s wellbeing.
Cruise ships are already unfamiliar environments for a sober mind to navigate and safely traverse: whether that is due to the wet surfaces, unusually dark and atypically designed rooms, the rockiness of the ship, or because of the amount of pedestrian traffic. Adding alcohol to the equation makes these obstacles significantly harder to overcome and has led to thousands of injuries which our team of experienced attorneys have fought relentlessly for.
Another contributing factor for why cruise ships experience fights like the recent one on the Carnival Venezia has to do with insufficient security on board ships. Most cruise lines lack enough security personnel, cameras, and other safety measures which many onland businesses are forced to maintain. Many cruise ships, like Carnival for example, do not even have lifeguards on duty in their pools; which I think illustrates the extent to which cruise lines care for their passenger’s safety – even after children have drowned in their pools.
Injured While On A Cruise Ship?
Although you might want to fully relax and disconnect on your next cruise, you should also keep one eye open and stay alert for your own safety. Cruise Lines are legally obligated to protect the passengers on or off board their ships, however, this does not necessarily mean that if you suffer an injury they must compensate you for you injuries. Cruise lines in a trial, which are mostly heard in Miami, FL’s Federal Courthouse, must be at least 51 % at fault for your injury according to the jury, for you to even receive a settlement. Proving that one percent requires months of investigations, interviews, and legal dialogue between our team of plaintiff attorneys, the law firm representing the cruise line, and the federal judge appointed to the case. This long stretch of legal back and forth requires meticulous attention to the details of the case and a passionate team of lawyers willing to help the injured and overlooked client.
Our law firm has been successfully and vehemently advocating for the health, safety, and justice of injured passengers from around the world. If you have been injured on a cruise line, contact our offices today so we can begin the fight for you!
