Unsafe Navigation Changes on Cruise Ships

"I enjoy moments when something unpredictable happens, when you can diverge a bit from standard procedures. It's a challenge to face, I enjoy it." – Francesco Schettino, Captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship in a December 2010 interview.

As a Miami, FL personal injury attorney who for brings claims for his clients in admiralty, I occasionally hear about injuries occurring on cruise ships as a result of unpredictable navigational changes. If you've ever vacationed on a large luxury liner, you probably noticed how at times it's very easy to forget that you are at sea. The cruise industry prides itself on the ability to create this illusion. To achieve this smoothness, cruise ships are equipped with state of the art stabilizers that help respond to the pitches and rolls that are inherent in sea travel. Additionally, the cruise industry imposes strict policies and regulations on their captains and helmsmen with regard to the operation of the vessels.

Occasionally, a maritime emergency will create the need for a sudden navigational change of course. Sometimes the exigency that caused the need for the course change was caused by crew error. However, when a sudden course change occurs, or the ship spontaneously changes speed, the passengers and contents of the ship are often affected—and sometimes injuries to the travelers onboard occur.

When a cruise ship makes a sudden turn, inertia causes the contents (people, luggage, glassware, liquids, et cetera) to continue in their previous direction. Passengers will experience a sensation of something forcing them in a different direction than they were moving with relation to the boat. Or in the case of a sudden speed change, they may feel compelled to pitch forward or fall backward. Even liquids—boiling water in a pot, hot coffee in a cup, water in a swimming pool—could splash over the side of their respective vessels as they fail to make the same course adjustment as the ship. As a result of these physical realities, injuries often occur:

• Burns
• Slips, falls, and trips
• Blunt impact trauma
• Lacerations/Cuts
• Bruises/Abrasions
• Broken bones
• Property damage
• Drownings
• Wrongful deaths

Fortunately for injured passengers who are seeking damages, modern cruise ships have sophisticated monitoring equipment that records the speed and movement of the ships. When personal injury lawyers investigate cruise ship injuries caused by sudden navigational changes, they can subpoena these records to determine the speeds and/or changes of direction that caused the accidents.

No matter how large and luxurious the cruise ship is, there are risks inherent in sea travel. If you are injured on a luxury liner due to a sudden navigational or speed change, you may be entitled to damages. Contact an experienced maritime attorney at your earliest convenience.