As most are aware by now, the cruise ship Costa Concordia capsized off the shore of Italy last week. This catastrophic maritime disaster has led to the death of 11 people and the injuries of hundreds more. Twenty-four people are still unaccounted for.
The Costa Concordia cruise ship accident has resulted in a lot of questions about the nature and cause of the maritime disaster. One such speculated cause of the crash is that the captain’s negligent actions resulted in the injuries and deaths of hundreds of cruise passengers. Captain Francesco Schettino, 52, has been detained on suspicion of manslaughter and a judge is due to decide shortly whether he should remain in custody.
Costa Cruises issued a statement saying “preliminary indications are that there may have been significant human error on the part of the ship’s Master, Captain Francesco Schettino.” The statement added, “the route of the vessel appears to have been too close to the shore, and the captain’s judgment in handling the emergency appears to have not followed standard Costa procedures.”
According to the National Safe Boating Council 70% of all maritime accidents are a result of human error.
Thus, the cruise ship accident is being blamed on the captain’s “human error” because he changed the course of the ship towards an island which forced the cruise liner to crash into rocks off the island of Giglio. Evacuations were made after the cruise ship crashed and passengers and crew made their way to the safety of the island, but Schettino is also accused of leaving the ship well before everyone was evacuated. His explanation for this is that he was helping passengers get into life boats and tripped and fell into one.
The captain denies any negligence on his part.
In retrospect, cruise ship accidents are extremely rare however when they do occur they cause an immense amount of injuries to both passengers and maritime workers. A maritime injury occurs when a maritime worker (seaman) or passenger is injured while at sea. In order to establish a maritime injury claim the seaman or passenger must prove that it was a direct result of the negligence or condition of the vessel in which the injury occurred.
Any time negligent actions result in the injury of individuals those whose negligence caused the injuries should be held accountable for their actions. Don’t let the negligent parties get away with any injuries you or a loved one may have sustained while at sea.
You are entitled to make a maritime injury claim. The maritime lawyers at Pulaski & Middleman have been helping people just like you receive compensation for any maritime injuries they may have sustained as a result of the negligence of others. Don’t wait another day. Take action now.
