Man Falls from Cruise Ship
A male guest on a seven-day Caribbean cruise aboard the Carnival Magic accidentally fell to his death from his cabin balcony on Tuesday morning. The man, who has not been identified, landed onto an open deck area three decks below. The victim, Chris Carver, 39, had been sitting on the balcony railing and accidentally fell, according to witnesses who were on the balcony with him at the time. The guest died at the scene. The ship was in the Gulf of Mexico en route to its first port of call at Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatan at the time of the accident. Carnival’s Care Team is providing assistance and support to the guest’s travelling companions and his family back home. A friend who had been travelling with the victim said that Carver was travelling on the cruise for work-related purposes. When you are on vacation, the last thing you want to think about is an accident. Taking a cruise is a wonderful way to travel in comfort to multiple destinations along the way. Cruise ship accidents and death that occur at sea are handled differently than other try personal injury cases. For accidents happening on a cruise ship, different laws, such as maritime law, international law, admiralty, and even law of contract are taken into consideration. Most passengers who have been injured on shipboard accidents are unaware that most cruise line companies insert contract provisions in passenger tickets which limit the amount of time for passengers suffering from injury to file any claim or begin a legal case against them. Passengers may also be required to sign waivers before being allowed to participate in some shipboard activities. Whenever a passenger is the victim of a cruise ship or maritime accident, they must act quickly in order to preserve their legal rights. If a cruise ship passenger is injured during a cruise, they are usually required to give written notice of their intent to pursue a claim. Passengers who have suffered serious injury of the surviving family members of a passenger who has been killed while on a cruise may only a year or even less from the date that the accident occurred in order to file suit. With such a short time to act, victims often do not pursue their claim. Some travel or cruise ship companies will promise resolution of an injured passenger’s case, only to find that it was all a part of a stalling tactic to run out the clock on that passenger’s right to file a claim. If you or a loved one was injured or has been the victim on board a ship, give our offices a call. The sooner you call and engage the services of an attorney that specializes in accident law, the sooner we can ensure your right to justice and fair compensation for your claim. Our attorneys will give you the time-sensitive advice that you need. Your initial consultation with our legal professionals is free. Give us a call as soon as possible so that your legal rights protected.