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Senator McCain’s Efforts to Repeal Jones Act Fails

February 13, 2015 Cruise Ship Crew Member Injury Law

Photo Credit: J. Scott Applewhite Associated jpgLast month, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) sought an amendment to repeal the Jones Act. In a January 13, 2015 Press Release published on his website, Sen. McCain states, “I have long advocated for a full repeal of The Jones Act, an antiquated law that has for too long hindered free trade, made the U.S. industry less competitive and raised prices for American consumers.” McCain concludes his statement by calling for his colleagues to “join in this important effort to repeal this archaic legislation to spur job creation and promote free trade.” While the Arizona senator is quick to mention the alleged positives that come with repealing the Jones Act, with catch phrases like “job creation” and “free trade,” his Press Release fails to address how repealing the Act will eliminate a means of compensation to a large class of employees known as “seamen.” Masters, captains, officers, crewmembers, deckhands–to name a few–will all lose a right to sue their employers under a law that’s been around for almost a century.

Everglades Airboat Crash Injures Two

February 10, 2015 Florida Boat Accident Law

Everglades Airboat Injury.jpgA private and a Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission airboat collided in the Everglades last Tuesday injuring two women passengers. The crash happened a mile and a half south of mile marker 34 off I-75 in Broward County around 12:50 p.m. The impact from the accident left the private airboat inoperable. One of the injured women is a 24-year-old University of Florida student who was aboard the Wildlife Conservation Commission preforming research on bats. The other is a 37-year-old woman who sustained more serious injuries. Both injured passengers were placed on the Wildlife Conservation Commission airboat and transported to land before being taken to the hospital. The Marine Division of the Broward County Sheriffs Office is investigating the accident.

Hollywood Man Dies When Boat Overturned Off Fort Lauderdale

February 6, 2015 Florida Boat Accident Law Maritime Wrongful Death

76-year-old German Diaz of Hollywood, Florida has died when the 16 foot boat he and family members were aboard overturned in bad weather. The accident happened on February 4th just off the coast of Fort Lauderdale. Reports state Diaz and four member of his family were fishing when the weather conditions deteriorated. They tied the boat to a buoy to ride out the storm. When they tried to untie the line, it got tangled with the propeller causing the boat because to take on water before overturning. Everyone in the group were able to hold onto the overturned boat except Diaz. Divers ultimately found Diaz trapped under the boat wearing his life jacket.

Man Goes Overboard The Sapphire Princess

February 5, 2015 Uncategorized

The reason behind the man going overboard is still unclear. While it was reported that the man intended to dive overboard, it is not known if this was an attempted suicide. Princess Cruises has yet to issue a statement regarding this alarming but all too common occurrence. Back in May 2013, the International Business Times featured an article on “How Many Cruise Ship Passengers Go Overboard Each Year?” and noted the findings of Dr. Ross Klein of CruiseJunkie.com. According to Dr. Klein, who has testified before Congress on a number of occasions and authored books like “Cruise Ship Blues: The Underside of the Cruise Ship Industry,” there were 23 passenger overboard incidents in 2012 alone. Furthermore, per Mr. Klein’s alleged statistics, he claims that nearly half of all overboard incidents since 2000, or 94 out of 200, have occurred on Carnival ships or corporate subsidiaries such as Costa, Cunard, P&O, Princess and Holland America.

Coast Guard Rescues Ill Passenger from Galveston Based Cruise Ship

February 3, 2015 Cruise Ship Passenger Injury Law

Galveston Cruise Rescue.jpgThe first several weeks of 2015 have seen many medical evacuations from cruise ships. This time the Coast Guard rescued a passenger from the Galveston based Carnival Magic last Saturday. The emergency call was placed near 9 p.m. from the cruise ship’s medical staff stating that a 51-year-old female passenger was suffering from respiratory problems. Air Station Houston dispatched a rescue helicopter. An ATC Mobile HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew was also launched to support the rescue. The rescue teams met up with the Carnival Magic 184 miles off the coast of Galveston. The passenger, along with the cruise ship’s nurse, were hoisted onto the helicopter and taken to Scholes Airport. There an EMS team was standing by to transport them to University of Texas Medical Branch. Lieutenant Commander, Scott Sanborn, the operations officer at Air Station Houston stated, “Whenever we are responding to a case that is a significant distance offshore the risk is elevated, but with the expertise of both air crews, as well as the seamless coordination from the Sector Houston-Galveston command center personnel, we were able to safely transport the woman to the highest medical care possible.”