Captain of Viking Cruise Ship Charged for Tragic Collision That Killed 27 People in May
In May a Viking cruise ship collided with a smaller sight-seeing vessel in Hungary. The cruise ship pushed the much smaller boat under the water, resulting in a massive loss of life. In all 27 people lost their lives. Now, the captain of the cruise ship has been charged in connection with the tragedy.
AOL.com reports that the captain of the cruise ship, 64-year-old Ukranian C. Yuriy, has been charged with “misconduct leading to mass casualties and 35 counts of failing to provide help in a disaster.” The boat which the cruise ship struck, the Mermaid, had 35 people aboard at the time of the collision. 27 people lost their lives while the others survived.
The details of the collision may be key to the cruise ship captain’s prosecution. The vessels collided under a major bridge in Budapest during a rainstorm. The AOL.com report indicates that the Mermaid was sailing under the bridge with the right-of-way when the cruise ship’s captain accelerated the ship. “The captain failed to pay sufficient attention, he did not focus on steering the ship for several minutes,” the report quotes the Hungarian prosecutor as saying.
Yuriy, if convicted on all counts, could face two to 11 years in prison. He is currently on house arrest and wearing an electronic tracking device.
Swiss-based Viking Cruises Ltd, of Viking riverboat fame, owns the cruise ship that was involved in the collision.
At Hickey Law Firm, our job is to cut through the complicated language and contracts and make it as painless as possible for you to pursue your claim for honest, significant, and permanent injuries. Our founding attorney spent several decades representing cruise line corporations before switching to defend the victims from egregious actions and incidents of negligence or wrongdoing. We know the tactics cruise ship lines use to seek a lower settlement or have your lawsuit thrown out and is prepared to seek justice on your behalf.
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Attorney John H. (Jack) Hickey and his team handle a wide range of cases, including but not limited to cruise ship accidents, admiralty and maritime accident cases, medical malpractice, wrongful death, premises liability, railroad accidents and car accidents. We represent victims from all over the nation, the world and the state of Florida.