Carnival sued over St. Thomas death

[Cruzaholic41]

no? i had a 4 hour layover in st. louis, so i decided to hop on a train from the airport to go see and film the arch. when i got off the train closest to the arch, i immediately knew i was in the "bad" section of town. i probably survived being 6'3" and 250 lbs.

 

the airline never warned me :rolleyes

 

Listen, I'm not saying I support this lawsuit. Remember, I said:

 

I'm not saying I agree with the lawsuit, and yes, personal safety is the person's responsibility, but they may actually have a legitimate claim here.

 

I just have some familiarity with civil torts and I can see where they might just get somewhere with this - whether I agree with it or not.

[Marian Paroo]

To lose a child is an unspeakable horror, especially in this kind of situation, but what can they claim damages for?

 

Grief?

 

Is the money really going to make a difference?

 

Cases like ths always make me squirm, and I've read about a lot of them.

[H82seaUgo]

Listen, I'm not saying I support this lawsuit. Remember, I said:

 

 

 

I just have some familiarity with civil torts and I can see where they might just get somewhere with this - whether I agree with it or not.

 

touche

[Bunkie103]

This happened shortly before our cruise last August and I can't help but wonder which excursion she was on. The parents have obviously been taken advantage of by some sleazy lawyer promising them big bucks. I had the opportunity to speak with Godfrey when we were in St. Thomas and was tempted to ask if it was his excursion, but he is such a nice man I knew he would find it upsetting, so I didn't ask. Regardless of what excursion, and I know it wasn't a Carnival excursion, there is no way Carnival is responsible.

[Serangel71]

DH is a lawyer - a criminal lawyer, not civil. However he just made a good point to me. How often on cruises does the ship give adequate information about what areas of a port to avoid? How often do you see literature saying stay away from this neighborhood or that place. They probably can't do it because it could bring a lawsuit from vendors of those bad areas, but in the court of civil tort, the family of this man could probably make an argument they weren't properly warned of what areas to avoid and of the local crime rate. Often you are just dumped off in a place with no knowledge of what's going on there.

 

I'm not saying I agree with the lawsuit, and yes, personal safety is the person's responsibility, but they may actually have a legitimate claim here.

 

 

You have not been to the Belize Port talks then? I have been. Told to be very careful as anywhere outside of the little shopping mall was unsafe & not to wander around-- I know as I ventured out to the Mayan Jade museum,I was very uncomfortable despite being on the border of the mall area. I went back to the ship quickly -- Pays to go to those talks or listen to them on tv.

 

Have not been to St Thomas in a long time, have been to Coki point. This really did not seem too far from the ship either.

 

It is sad to lose a child, esp this way. I say sue the shooter & St. Thomas police for unsafe conditions. CCL -- pull the plug on port if no improvement.

 

We went into Haiti in 1980 & we did not get off ship. I was 5mos along & my DH said he did not feel it was safe so we stayed on board.

 

--Colleen

[friedshrimp]

DH is a lawyer - a criminal lawyer, not civil. However he just made a good point to me. How often on cruises does the ship give adequate information about what areas of a port to avoid? How often do you see literature saying stay away from this neighborhood or that place. They probably can't do it because it could bring a lawsuit from vendors of those bad areas, but in the court of civil tort, the family of this man could probably make an argument they weren't properly warned of what areas to avoid and of the local crime rate. Often you are just dumped off in a place with no knowledge of what's going on there.

 

I'm not saying I agree with the lawsuit, and yes, personal safety is the person's responsibility, but they may actually have a legitimate claim here.

 

Ask your DH how often people due Due Diligence before selecting a cruise? No one forced them to choose a cruise with that port (can they not search the Internet to see if there has been trouble at that port before) and no one forced them to step off of the ship when it arrived at that port. No, they have NO claim what-so-ever. PEOPLE NEED TO RESUME TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN ACTIONS (yes, it seems to have stopped in the late 60's, early 70's).

[dr6462]

I thought it was but I could be wrong

 

I think calling these folks names is a bit unfair - they lost a daughter who had many years of life remaining.......

 

Carnival will not pay, the insurance company will pay - Carnival has liability insurance for just these things

 

So it's ok to sue Carnival because their Insurance company will pay?! What kind of warped is thinking is that! Sure it was a tragedy the family lost their daughter, but to sue Carnival for it, come on!

 

What about the parents taking some personal responsibility heaven forebid. I think the parents should have done their research and stayed on the ship if the island was so dangerous. They want to blame Carnival for their short comings because they don't want to believe they could have any responsibility in their daughters death.

 

Truth is neither the Family or Carnival is at fault. It was the killers fault plain and simple. To sue Carnival for it is pathetic. The family should be ashamed of themselves.

[Cruzaholic41]

Ask your DH how often people due Due Diligence before selecting a cruise? No one forced them to choose a cruise with that port (can they not search the Internet to see if there has been trouble at that port before) and no one forced them to step off of the ship when it arrived at that port. No, they have NO claim what-so-ever. PEOPLE NEED TO RESUME TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN ACTIONS (yes, it seems to have stopped in the late 60's, early 70's).

 

I think you missed my point, and like another poster, must have missed where I said I did not support this lawsuit.

 

I'm only trying to look at it with an open mind. The court of public opinion on Cruise Critic is obviously going to side with the cruise line because we love cruising, and most of us have been on several cruises and know what level of personal responsibility is necessary for safety. However, the media in Miami and many people in and around Miami hate the cruise industry. A Miami jury could very well side with the plaintiff if a convincing argument is presented.

 

I'm not saying this to take sides and I'm not saying it's right. I'm only voicing reality.

 

Plus, the fact is, we do not know all the details of this. We do not know what correspondence took place with Carnival, their reactions, etc.

[CWcruisers]

The Mexican ports have not had anything even remotely comparable to what happened in St. Thomas, Jamaica or Costa Rica to cruise passsengers. Yet they pull away from the Mexican ports. What a joke:rolleyes:

 

 

I bring this up all the time. Mexico gets such a bad rap for no reason.

[Cruzaholic41]

I bring this up all the time. Mexico gets such a bad rap for no reason.

 

And this, folks, is why people get hurt. Thinking there is "no reason" for the rap a destination gets.

 

What??!! :eek:

 

11 bodies were just found along the road just outside of Mazatlan. This past January, 25 bodies were found in Acapulco, 15 or which were decapitated. A woman's body was just found in Cabo - that is, parts of her body were found over a distance of several blocks. This is all part of a massive drug war going on involving one of the most violent gangs on the planet - the Los Zetas.

 

No, these were not cruise passengers but I would say there is good reason for these places to have a "bad rap."

[Bigbob75]

I bring this up all the time. Mexico gets such a bad rap for no reason.

 

No reason?

Don't mean to stray off topic

First the drug wars started in border cities and it's spreading in Acapulco 9 people were shoot to death right on the main drag where all the hotels are

It's spreading like wildfire

38 thousand dead in one year

Soon u will see ports affected

[dst]

So it's ok to sue Carnival because their Insurance company will pay?! What kind of warped is thinking is that! Sure it was a tragedy the family lost their daughter, but to sue Carnival for it, come on!

 

What about the parents taking some personal responsibility heaven forebid. I think the parents should have done their research and stayed on the ship if the island was so dangerous. They want to blame Carnival for their short comings because they don't want to believe they could have any responsibility in their daughters death.

 

Truth is neither the Family or Carnival is at fault. It was the killers fault plain and simple. To sue Carnival for it is pathetic. The family should be ashamed of themselves.

 

 

I did not say it was OK - and my thought process is not "warped" I simply pointed out that Carnival will not pay a penny out of the pocket (directly) they have insurance to cover such costs........

 

For you to assume any of the families thoughts or "short comings" is quite ignorant or should I say "warped"

 

As you will see from other posts, I am not in favor of the lawsuit, I simply explained why it would be possible to sue and who would pay

[CruiseLover10023]

what about Amy Bradley the girl who vanished on the Rhapsidy has anybody seen the recent episode with Beth Holloway please explain how this was allowed to happen

[MissDiva1]

Ask your DH how often people due Due Diligence before selecting a cruise? No one forced them to choose a cruise with that port (can they not search the Internet to see if there has been trouble at that port before) and no one forced them to step off of the ship when it arrived at that port. No, they have NO claim what-so-ever. PEOPLE NEED TO RESUME TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN ACTIONS (yes, it seems to have stopped in the late 60's, early 70's).

 

You just brought up a good point and that point might just go against Carnival;)

[MissDiva1]

So it's ok to sue Carnival because their Insurance company will pay?! What kind of warped is thinking is that! Sure it was a tragedy the family lost their daughter, but to sue Carnival for it, come on!

 

What about the parents taking some personal responsibility heaven forebid. I think the parents should have done their research and stayed on the ship if the island was so dangerous. They want to blame Carnival for their short comings because they don't want to believe they could have any responsibility in their daughters death.

 

Truth is neither the Family or Carnival is at fault. It was the killers fault plain and simple. To sue Carnival for it is pathetic. The family should be ashamed of themselves.

 

If the island is so dangerous why is Carnival still taking passenger there:confused:

Pathetic isn't it:confused:

[sharecruises]

Carnival always does "warn' about NON cruiseline excursions...and pushes their own excursions....therefore they were warned

 

anything can happen anywhere..

 

Aruba is probably one of the safest islands out there, safer than Florida and surely safer than Jamaica (which has one of the highest murder rates in the world)...Aruba is statistically safer than Alabama...yet one bad teen there (Joran) put their tourist industry in a spin and made some Americans afraid to go there/boycott (when we have many unsolved murders here)

 

It is all relative...I personally don't want to pay higher cruise prices when Carnival pays more insurance premiums for frivolous lawsuits...so I hope this does not prevail. I do hope for justice on St Thomas against the person (shooter) responsible for this tragedy

[MissDiva1]

And this, folks, is why people get hurt. Thinking there is "no reason" for the rap a destination gets.

 

What??!! :eek:

 

11 bodies were just found along the road just outside of Mazatlan. This past January, 25 bodies were found in Acapulco, 15 or which were decapitated. A woman's body was just found in Cabo - that is, parts of her body were found over a distance of several blocks. This is all part of a massive drug war going on involving one of the most violent gangs on the planet - the Los Zetas.

 

No, these were not cruise passengers but I would say there is good reason for these places to have a "bad rap."

 

I read that the cruislines pulled out of Mazatlan because some Hal passengers got their jewelry stolen...

Something that happens every day here in Los Angeles.

I just got back from spending 7 days in Cabo and I felt safer there then at home day and night. Never came across any body parts.....over blown publicity. They are getting a bad rap....in fact I would have no problem retiring down in Cabo and we are thinking about it as I post.

Posts like yours is just fueling the fire........

[MissDiva1]

I bring this up all the time. Mexico gets such a bad rap for no reason.

 

Yes a family can be held up at gun point in Jamaica....a gun held to the little girls head.......people are attacked on a tour in Costa Rica.....thank goodness a passenger killed the attacker......both ship sponsored tours......and a young woman gets shot to death in St. Thomas.....

What else has happened in St. Thomas that was kept under wraps? Well we just might find out in this lawsuit:D

Go figure:rolleyes:

 

And by the way wasn't this shooting during a gang bangers funeral.....didn't the local athorities have a clue that there just might be trouble? Don't ya think they would alert the tourism board? Something just ain't right here........

[Dedivah]

From what I recall, they were not on a Carnival excursion.

 

If I remember correctly, they did receive money from the Government of the Virgin Islands.

 

It's not right to sue Carnival.

[GayleR]

So it's ok to sue Carnival because their Insurance company will pay?! What kind of warped is thinking is that! Sure it was a tragedy the family lost their daughter, but to sue Carnival for it, come on!

 

What about the parents taking some personal responsibility heaven forebid. I think the parents should have done their research and stayed on the ship if the island was so dangerous. They want to blame Carnival for their short comings because they don't want to believe they could have any responsibility in their daughters death.

 

Truth is neither the Family or Carnival is at fault. It was the killers fault plain and simple. To sue Carnival for it is pathetic. The family should be ashamed of themselves.

 

 

I posted this earlier.....Insurance companies also have lawyers. I worked at a firm who's client base is 90% insurance companies. From what I've seen, the attorney will counsel the insurance company on the basis of money. Sometimes it's cheaper to settle a lawsuit (even when you aren't at fault) than to fight it out in court. I've also seen cases where the insurance company doesn't care how much it costs, they will fight it and win.

 

The sad thing is lawyers will make money on this case and the family will not get their daughter back no matter who wins the case.

[nybumpkin]

Yes a family can be held up at gun point in Jamaica....a gun held to the little girls head.......people are attacked on a tour in Costa Rica.....thank goodness a passenger killed the attacker......both ship sponsored tours......and a young woman gets shot to death in St. Thomas.....

The Costa Rica incident was not a Carnival excursion. We were on the cruise when this incident happened - a group of passengers hired a driver who took them to an off-the-beaten-track area. And Carnival did stop going to Limon for a time afterward: http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=1949. They reversed that decision after the Costa Rican authorities gave them assurances that they would take measures to promote passenger safety.

 

As an aside - it was completely surreal to be sitting in our cabin on Carnival Liberty the last sea day, watching an ABC News report about our cruise.

[MissDiva1]

The Costa Rica incident was not a Carnival excursion. We were on the cruise when this incident happened - a group of passengers hired a driver who took them to an off-the-beaten-track area. And Carnival did stop going to Limon for a time afterward: http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=1949. They reversed that decision after the Costa Rican authorities gave them assurances that they would take measures to promote passenger safety.

 

As an aside - it was completely surreal to be sitting in our cabin on Carnival Liberty the last sea day, watching an ABC News report about our cruise.

 

Thanks!

[Cruzaholic41]

I just got back from spending 7 days in Cabo and I felt safer there then at home day and night. Never came across any body parts.....over blown publicity. They are getting a bad rap....in fact I would have no problem retiring down in Cabo and we are thinking about it as I post.

Posts like yours is just fueling the fire........

 

Are you saying the Mexico drug wars and the Los Zetas are overblown publicity? Really? :rolleyes:

 

I live in a city where there are crap neighborhoods and drug violence also, but our police aren't finding mass graves of decapitated bodies. We do not have a drug gang committing mass executions up and down our seaboard and dumping hundreds of bodies in mass graves. All the media outlets didn't get together one day and say "hey, let's make up a gang called Los Zetas and smear Mexico."

 

And before you say posts like mine are fueling the fire, try paying a little closer attention to the conversation. I listed several worse examples, not just Cabo, in response to a lamebrain comment saying "Mexico gets such a bad rap for no reason."

[MissDiva1]

Are you saying the Mexico drug wars and the Los Zetas are overblown publicity? Really? :rolleyes:

 

I live in a city where there are crap neighborhoods and drug violence also, but our police aren't finding mass graves of decapitated bodies. We do not have a drug gang committing mass executions up and down our seaboard and dumping hundreds of bodies in mass graves. All the media outlets didn't get together one day and say "hey, let's make up a gang called Los Zetas and smear Mexico."

 

And before you say posts like mine are fueling the fire, try paying a little closer attention to the conversation. I listed several examples, not just Cabo, in response to a lamebrain comment saying "Mexico gets such a bad rap for no reason."

 

 

Nope I am well aware of the drug wars:rolleyes: Other ports are targeting cruise passengers unlike the Mexican drug wars.....yet other ports are not considered high crime ports enough to pull out.....thus no reason why they should pull out the Mexican ports....doesn't sound lamebrain to me:confused:

I agree with CWcruisers........

Any little crime in Mexico is on the national news whether it is related to the drug wars or not.....can you imagine if people heard all the littly gory details of the crimes that happen in the good old USA:rolleyes:

Yes posts like yours are only fueling the fire........

[Gig103]

Scum will find lowlife scum attorneys to sue over anything. It's the way of our country these days.

 

With a 33% stake in a settlement, there are no shortage of lawyers who know a settlement will be reached. Carnival should let this one go to court and get dismissed yo set some precident.