PERSONAL INJURY OF CELEBRITY CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER RESULTING FROM NEGLIGENT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS FOR PASSENGERS BOARDING TENDERS
REICHOW v. CELEBRITY CRUISES INC.
The following is a description of a personal injury case we have filed. This is a case involving a personal injury onboard the Mercury, a cruise ship owned by Celebrity Cruise Lines.
On the date of the accident in this case, the cruise line moored the cruise ship, the Celebrity Mercury, offshore of Lahaina, Hawaii. The cruise line transported its cruise passengers back and forth between the ship and shore by smaller boats, known as the ship’s tenders. In order to transport the passengers from the ship to the shore, the cruise line directs the passengers to walk to a platform attached to the outside of the ship. The cruise line then directs the passengers to enter the tender which is tied to the platform and which is rolling and pitching with the seas. The pitching and rolling causes the tender to move up and down, backwards and forwards, and away from the platform and toward the platform. Thus, the gap between the tender and the platform also opens and closes with the movement of the seas and the movement of the tender.
Despite the conditions under which passengers were required to board the tender, and despite the age, physical ability, and experience range of the passengers, the cruise line stationed on the platform only one crew member to assist passengers onto the tender. Further, the cruise line, failed to properly select, train, or supervise the crew members assigned to assist the passengers on the platform and in the tender.
In fact, the crew members who were stationed on the platform and the tender at the time that our client, Ms. Reichow, was boarding were not engaged in assisting passengers whatsoever.
Further, the cruise line failed to provide a tender with a surface which was slip-resistant, despite the fact that it was constantly or frequently wet. Further, the cruise line failed to provide a sufficient number of crew members and failed to select, train and supervise crew member who was onboard the tender in order to assist passengers onto the tender safely. Further, the cruise line failed to warn the passengers either before they decided to go into Lahaina, or at the time of embarkation onto the tender, about the risks and dangers of entering the tender in such seas and with the inadequate number of cruise personnel to assist passengers and that the cruise line failed to properly select, train, and supervise the personnel that it did provide.
As a result of these failures and the negligence of the cruise line, our client, Ms. Reichow, whilst on the exterior platform and stepping onto the tender at Lahaina, Hawaii, thought she was assisted by the one crew member who was available to assist passengers. She moved her left leg across the gap between the platform and the tender, placed her foot onto the slippery surface of the tender, and received no assistance from the cruise personnel inside the tender. Ms. Reichow’s foot then slipped from the tender, and because she was not being assisted by the cruise personnel on the platform, fell with her leg wedged between the tender and the platform. The rolling, pitching tender hit and pinned Ms. Reichow’s left leg several times to the platform, causing severe damages to her left leg, including Celulitis, severe hematoma, and permanent nerve damage.
We are fighting… for the safety and security of you and your family. Making cruise lines, other commercial facilities, and products safer and more secure, one case at a time.
Call us today. All consultations are free and strictly confidential. TOLL FREE: 1.800.215.7117. See our website for information on what to do in the event of an injury on a cruise ship: www.hickeylawfirm.com. See also www.cruiseshipassault.com. The bottom line is get medical care immediately, take photos of the area where you were injured, get the names and contact information of witnesses, and report the accident or incident at once. Also, CALL HICKEY LAW FIRM, P.A., TOLL FREE AT: 1.800.215.7117. Our consultations are always free. We work on a contingency fee basis; if we don’t recover, you don’t pay. Personal injury, wrongful death, sexual assaults, and medical malpractice. This all happens on cruise ships and we have handled these types of claims for 29 years.
The cruise ship industry has restricted when and where you can place a claim. Those restrictions appear in the fine print of the ticket. The ticket may also have a provision that requires you to file your claim within one year of the time cruise ship accidents occur, and they also require that claims be made in Miami, FL. Because of these limitations, it is important to have representation from an experienced attorney who can ensure you take the necessary steps in case of cruise ship accidents.
Hickey Law Firm, P.A. is headed up by John H. (Jack) Hickey. Hickey was born and raised in the cruise line capital of the world, Miami, Florida. For the first 17 years of his career, Hickey represented the cruise lines and insurance companies. Now he represents you, the seriously injured, the family of a loved one who has died as a result of someone else’s negligence, the victim of a sexual assault, or the victim of medical malpractice.
Hickey has testified before Congress about safety and security onboard cruise ships and claims against cruise lines. He is Board Certified as a Civil Trial Lawyer by The Florida Bar and by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He is a Past President of the Dade County Bar Association. He currently serves on the Board of Governors of The Florida Bar. Hickey has been named by his peers as a “SUPERLAWYER” in the Superlawyer.com publication (the top 5% of all lawyers); as a “Top Lawyer in South Florida” in the areas of personal injury and maritime in the South Florida Legal Guide (2004 to present); and as a “Legal Elite” member in Florida Trend Magazine (2006) (top 1.7% of all lawyers). He is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, and Who’s Who in Emerging Leaders in America. Hickey is rated A/V by Martindale Hubbell, the international directory of lawyers, a rating achieved by only 5% of all attorneys.
CONTACT US AND SEE OUR RESULTS AT: www.hickeylawfirm.com and CALL US TOLL FREE AT 1.800.215.7117.
