Maritime & Boating Accident Lawyer News

Brais Law attorneys settled a personal injury against a major Miami based cruise line on behalf of Florida Passenger who slipped and fell on the ship's pool deck. The fall caused a knee injury which required two knee surgeries with the possibility of a future total knee replacement. During the pre-lawsuit settlement negotiation, it was brought out that cause of the accident was a result of the deck being unreasonably slippery.

The Brais law board certified maritime attorneys resolved a case on behalf of a Texas man who injured his shoulder when he slipped and fell on water in his cabin aboard the Carnival cruise ship SENSATION. Brais Law attorneys argued the ship was not "trimmed" properly which allowed water to slosh over the shower basin and leak onto the cabin's highly polished wooden floor. The case filed in federal court alleges the cruise line's operational negligence combined with the decision to outfit the cabin with an unreasonably slippery floor caused the accident. The parties entered into a confidential settlement while the case was in suit.

The maritime lawyers of Brais & Brais filed a lawsuit on behalf of a California passenger who slipped and fell down exterior stairs leading to the pool deck aboard the NCL cruise ship NORWEGIAN STAR. Court papers allege NCL was negligent for not properly drying the stairwell and failing to maintain the non-skid properties of the steps. The accident resulted in an injury to the passenger's back.

The lawyers of Brais & Brais filed a lawsuit in Federal Court on behalf of a Tampa, Florida woman who slipped on the pool deck aboard the Norwegian Cruise Line's NORWEGIAN PEARL. The accident resulted in the passenger suffering a back injury. The complaint alleges NCL was negligent in causing a slipping hazard. This is one of multiple cases the law firm has handled concerning a pool deck slip and fall case aboard the Jewel Class cruise ship. Other NCL ships within the Jewel Class are the: NORWEGIAN JEWEL, NORWEGIAN JADE and NORWEGIAN GEM.

The maritime attorneys of Brais & Brais filed a personal injury lawsuit against Carnival Cruise Lines on behalf of an injured Missouri woman. The complaint alleges Carnival caused a slipping hazard by not properly drying the deck of its cruise ship SPLENDOR and not properly maintaining the anti-slip properties of the deck which caused the Missouri passenger to slip and fall. The accident resulted in a fractured wrist of the passenger's dominate hand.

The Brais Law Firm represents a Connecticut cruise ship passenger who slipped and fell aboard the NORWEGIAN PEARL. Court papers filed in Miami Federal Court allege the passenger was walking under the fixed canopy on the pool (Verandah) deck when she slipped and fell on a slippery patch on the deck. The fall caused a knee injury which required an arthroscopic knee surgery. The complaint alleges Norwegian Cruise Lines was negligent by failing to: (1) properly maintain the flooring with appropriate non-skid properties to prevent the fall, (2) place signs warning passengers of the wet and slippery area, (3) install proper lighting so the wet area would be open and obvious to passengers as well as (4) make the area dry and safe after being on notice of the hazard.

After having a Federal Court declare Carnival's Panamanian choice of law clause within its crew member employment contract unenforceable, the Brais Law Firm brought an arbitration claim on behalf of an injured Grenada seafarer asserting a United States Jones Act claim for negligence. The arbitration claim alleged the crew member injured his knee when he tripped and fell due to an improperly maintained crew stairway and demanded compensation for pain, suffering as well as lost earnings. Shortly after Carnival provided the crew member all necessary medical treatment in Miami, the parties agreed to a confidential settlement.

The Brais law firm settled a Jones Act negligence and unseaworthienss lawsuit on behalf of a British crewmember who worked as a dancer aboard the Carnival cruise ship MIRACLE. The complaint filed in Miami, Florida allege Carnival cruises was negligence and the cruise ship unseaworthy when the leg of a prop chair the dancer was ordered to perform on broke causing her to fall during a performance. The fall resulted in the crew member breaking her wrist. Court papers assert the chair was not structurally sufficient to be used as a prop and Carnival did not have an adequate maintenance schedule its prop chairs to discover defects before the chairs fail. The seafarer and Carnival entered into a confidential settlement before trial.

Brais Law firm represented the family of a Massachusetts man who died of Norovirus aboard the Celebrity cruise ship SOLSTICE. The complaint filed in Miami Federal Court alleged the passenger boarded the SOLSTICE without being warned the ship was experiencing a two week long Norovirus outbreak. The complaint explains on the fifth day of the cruise, the passenger started exhibited symptoms of Norovirus along with several other passengers which overwhelmed the ship's medical staff. Court papers state the man was sent back to his cabin where he later died. An autopsy performed by the Broward County Coroner confirmed the death was caused by Norovirus. The family and cruise line entered into a confidential settlement after the case was filed.

The Brais law firm attorneys filed a Jones Act personal injury case on behalf of a Guatemalan crewmember. The complaint brought in Miami, Florida alleges crew spilled condiments on the floor between shifts which blended into the coloring of the galley's floor making it not readily apparent. After reporting for duty the next morning the cook slipped and fell on the condiment which caused him to twist his knee and strike his head against a table. This accident resulted in a significant injury to the crewmember's neck and knee. The Complaint alleges the employer was negligent and the ship unseaworthy by allowing crew access the galley after hours and not providing anti-skid matting commonly found in ship galleys and shore-based kitchens around the world.

Clearwater Florida: Marine law enforcement units from the U.S. Coast Guard, Clearwater Police and Pinellas County EMS responded to the Memorial Causeway Bridge at approximately 9 p.m on New Year's Eve when the themed cruise ship, Pirates Ransom, ran aground with approximately 100 people on board. According Elizabeth Watts of the Clearwater Police Department, a second vessel identified as the Island Time also ran aground while attempting to take passengers from the Pirates Ransom back to shore. All passengers were eventually taken back to shore by emergency response boats. One 77-year-old woman was checked out at the scene, but refused treatment.

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO: The Coast Guard has suspended its search for a 30-year-old female bartender who jumped off the Celebrity cruise ship Summit near Puerto Rico.

The Coast Guard stated the crew member jumped off as the Celebrity cruise ship passed just northeast of the island of Culebra early Christmas morning. Cruise lines are obligated under maritime law to conduct an adequate search of all crew member and passengers who have gone overboard.

Since the search began, rescue crews conducted 10 aerial and seven surface searches, spanning out approximately 2,000 square nautical miles, covering a total search area approximately two thirds the size of Puerto Rico. Coast Guard rescue crews conducted the search aboard MH-65 Dolphin helicopters from Air Station Borinquen, Aguadilla, an HC-130 aircraft from Clearwater Florida, a Coast Guard 45-foot response boat medium and the Coast Guard Cutter Cushing. A Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action marine unit also assisted with the search efforts. The Celebrity Summit cruise ship was sailing from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Barbados when the incident happened.

JACKSONVILLE, FLOIRDA: Federal prosecutors charged a Duval County Florida woman for making a false bomb threat by a passenger aboard the Carnival cruise ship Fascination. According to the indictment filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Linda Wilson, 44, called the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office in May 2010 to say a bomb was going to explode when the cruise ship arrived at the JAXPORT cruise terminal. Wilson was arrested on a Federal warrant by local law enforcement and is scheduled for an initial court appearance on January 2nd. Wilson faces a maximum penalty of up to 5 years in prison if convicted. It is unknown whether Wilson is currenlty repersented by an attorney.

GALVESTON, TEXAS: A Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter rescue crew from Coast Guard Air Station Houston medevaced a 73-year-old passenger from the Carnival cruise ship Triumph about 80 miles off Galveston, Texas on Thursday, January 29th.

Coast Guard received a call about 10 p.m. Thursday that a passenger had a blood clot in his foot and needed to be evacuated immediately. The rescue helicopter took off about 11:40 p.m. and hoisted the passenger off the Carnival cruise ship and flew him to awaiting emergency responders at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. The man's condition is currently unknown.

Disney's cruise ship Fantasy set to operate Caribbean cruises from Florida later this year was damaged at the Meyer-Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. What exactly caused the damage remains unknown. German media reports vandals opened the cruise ship's water valves which flooded sections of the ship. Disney Cruise Lines' spokeswoman, Rebecca Peddle, says, "We don't know if it was vandalism or not." According to the shipyard, access to the cruise ship was restricted after the incident. Disney Cruise Lines reports, "There was some water damage that resulted in them having to replace some carpeting. It was not significant."

The damage will not impact delivery dates or the Florida cruise debut. The Fantasy is currently scheduled for delivery in February, and the cruise ship is set to start sailing from Port Canaveral, Florida in March.