Title: Another Costa Cruise, Another Costa Tragedy - Death in Fall
Category: Crew Member Cruise Ship Injuries
Date: 2013-02-07
A little more than a year after the horrific Costa Concordia disaster, which took the lives of over 30 people, Costa is yet again in the news with another calamity. On January 17, 2013, a crewmember died in an apparent fall inside a ventilation shaft aboard the Costa Serena. Although not as extensive as the Costa Concordia disaster, anytime an incident aboard these cruise vessels involves the death of a passenger or crewmember it is equally as tragic.
The body of a 48-year-old Indonesian man was found in a ventilation shaft after fellow crewmembers had reported him missing. Costa expressed sadness over the loss of the crewmember, but indicated that the investigation was pending. According to the cruise line, "it seems that the crewmember fell inside a ventilation duct where he was performing maintenance works." The incident occurred while the Costa Serena was off the coast of Argentina on a 10-day cruise.
The terrible death of this crewmember is an example of what can happen due to the dangerous nature of work aboard the cruise vessels. For many of the crewmembers, they are forced to work long, grueling hours, exposed to many dangers on the ship and those of the open ocean. Adding insult to injury, most of the crewmembers do so for little pay and in less than hospitable conditions. The majority of crewmembers come from impoverished nations where a chance to work aboard the cruise line, even for such minimal pay, presents an opportunity which they do not have in their home countries. These crewmembers endure the unsavory conditions to provide for themselves, and most importantly, for their families.
Injuries have become commonplace for crewmembers aboard the cruise vessels making it important to speak with an attorney to help them know their rights. Many times the cruise line has created the conditions that caused the injuries and is liable for its negligence making it responsible for compensating those that are injured. It is the cruise line's responsibility to do all that is reasonable to keep everyone onboard safe from harm and to pay when it fails to do so.
Sometimes injuries resulting from the cruise line's improper conduct sadly ends with the death of a crewmember. In the event this kind of tragedy occurs, victims and their surviving loved ones can turn to a cruise ship injury attorney such the attorneys at our firm, the Hoffman Law Firm, for assistance in filing a claim and protecting their rights. Our attorneys strive to procure a successful verdict for victims when they were either injured or suffered additional injuries because of a cruise line's failure to provide the crewmember with medical care. Victims may be entitled to compensation, including money damages and medical care, so it is imperative that all crewmembers and surviving family members act quickly to protect their rights.
