Cruise guests not protected from all dangerous premises injuries

It is completely understandable that personal injury guidelines are not the first thing most people consider when they think about going on vacation. After all, the point is usually to experience the thrills and relaxation of leaving one’s everyday routine behind. Unfortunately, however, some tourists are confronted with serious issues while on vacation and it’s important to understand their rights in such cases. A fatal premises liability incident aboard a New York cruise ship sheds light on what can go wrong and how individuals can be limited in options and legal recourse.

While cruise ships are designed to offer all of the same world-class, luxury accommodations and amenities as resort hotels, there are some notable differences between the two. For one thing, many ship swimming pools are not staffed by lifeguards and ship passengers are often subject to a policy of swim-at-your-own-risk. Furthermore, maritime laws pertaining to cruise ships differ in the way that they apply to personal injury and premises liability incidents in some cases.

A major incident occurred recently on a Norwegian cruise ship docked out of Manhattan. The ship, which boasts 18 decks, numerous swimming pools, and a water park, was en route to the Bahamas when a pool incident involving two young boys occurred off the shores of North Carolina. While details concerning the event are limited, the two boys were reportedly found unresponsive at one of the ship’s pools. The six-year-old victim was revived and transported to an area hospital, but the four-year-old victim sadly died.

It is not stated if a lifeguard was on duty at that particular pool or whether the children were in the care of their families at the time the incident occurred.

Source: Yahoo! News, “1 child dies, 1 hospitalized after cruise incident,” Emery P. Dalesio, Feb. 4, 2014