The Coast Guard responded to an emergency concerning an infant passenger from the Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas while the ship was calling on the private Bahamian island Coco Cay. It is reported the 10-month-old passenger was experiencing breathing difficulty Sunday prompting the rescue. The ship’s medical personnel stabilized the infant before flying with the baby to Miami. The child arrived at Miami Children’s Hospital Sunday night. The child’s respiratory condition is unknown at the time of this report.
This law firm received several calls a week from passengers who have injured their knees from slipping on a cruise ship. There is a very specific reason why this happens.
The Florida maritime attorneys of Brais Law Firm brought a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of a family whose loved one drown after falling overboard from the tug boat. On the morning of September 13, 2013, Shaun Cheney was preparing the tugboat Brittany Beyel and barge for a crossing to the Bahamas. As part of his duties, Shaun was required to participate in the repositioning of the tug and barge from the Beyel Brothers’ Merritt Island facility across the Canaveral Barge Canal. While crossing the canal, it was noticed that Shaun was missing. He was last seen by a fellow deckhand securing a line to a stern cleat. Although being aware Shaun was missing, the decision was made to first dock the tug before starting a search and rescue mission. When the search of the area did occur, Shaun could not be found despite being a good swimmer. Tragically, Shaun’s body was found on the bottom of the canal the next afternoon.
A man was medevaced off the 965-foot cruise ship Norwegian Gem yesterday. The ship’s master radioed the Coast Guard reporting 35-year-old Brent Killian was in medical distress and in need of assistance. A MH-60 rescue helicopter was dispatched and met the cruise ship approximately 180 miles east of Nags Head, North Carolina. The rescues team transported Killian to Coast Guard Air Station located at Elizabeth City wherein he was then taken by ambulance to Albermarle Hospital. Killian’s condition is currently unknown. The Norwegian Gem is operated by the Miami based cruise line NCL. The 2384 passenger cruise ship is currently making weekly sailing to the Bahamas from New York. Below is actual Coast Guard footage of the rescue at sea.
Rape and other types of sexual assaults occur on cruise ships with regularity. These horrific events are often times not told to passengers. Cruise lines have a financial interest in not sharing the facts about crimes that occur on their watch involving their employees against people who pay them to vacation on their cruise ships. In fact, the cruise industry spends millions upon millions of dollars in advertising for the purpose of portraying cruises as a safe family vacation option. The lack of warning of the real dangers associated with cruising combined with the portrayal of safety gives regular people the false sense of security while cruising. This often leads to passengers letting their guard down which in turn leads to victimization.
