Maritime Accidents Archives | DENENA | POINTS

Port Arthur Barge Accident kills Worker, Nitrogen Gas Blamed

Sunday at Vessel Repair in a Port Arthur, Texas shipyard, worker Joe Hamerly entered a barge containing nitrogen gas. Port Arthur police indicated that the man likely suffocated there as he was working due to a lack of oxygen. Mr. Hamerly’s body was discovered on Sunday night, and an investigation into his death was begun. Emergency workers recovered Mr. Hamerly’s body from the barge after the Port Arthur barge accident killed the worker. Nitrogen gas was blamed. The Texas Gulf Coast wrongful death attorneys at Denena Points, PC convey their condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Mr. Joe Hamerly.

Our Gulf Coast wrongful death attorneys note that employers and vessel owners are responsible for ensuring safe working conditions for their employees and those who serve their vessels. Specially where there’s a barge filled with potentially lethal nitrogen, the vessel and its contents should be secured, warnings should be posted, and workers should be carefully trained in safety policies and procedures designed to ensure that they will not be exposed to hazards from the nitrogen.

While news accounts of Joe Hamerly’s tragic death indicated that he probably suffocated, they did not mention what safety procedures failed or simply weren’t in place to expose him to a deadly hazard in the course of his job.

Other workers in Port Arthur have died because of negligent employers. Matthew Lawrence Bowman, former president of Port Arthur Chemical and Environmental Services, LLC (PACES) pleaded guilty in May to OSHA charges and was sentenced to a year in federal prison and a fine of $5,000 after two employees died from exposure to hazardous gases at his PACES facility. Joey Sutter and Charles Sittig, truck drivers, died in 2008 and 2009 from exposure to hydrogen sulfide.

Bowman admitted to not properly protecting workers from the poisonous gas and to telling employees to falsify documents regarding problems at the facility. Our Texas Gulf Coast wrongful death attorneys emphasize that this negligence was no small oversight. The National Institute for OSHA says that hydrogen sulfide, an acutely toxic substance, is the leading cause of sudden death in the U.S. workplace. As such, OSHA requires employers to implement engineering and safety controls to prevent employees from harmful exposure to the gas.

At PACES, Bowman was the person responsible for approving and directing production operations, disposal of hydrogen sulfide wastewater, and implementation of employee safety precautions. He personally handled investigations regarding on-the-job injuries, directed the transportation of the hazardous wastewater, and determined what safety equipment could be maintained or purchased.

In the cases where the two truck drivers died, reportedly hazardous materials were transported illegally, with false documents, and without the required placards. The Gulf Coast wrongful death attorneys at Denena Points, PC note that placarding is essential to warn first responders of the hazardous substance in the event of accidents. In these two cases, the truck drivers themselves were also not properly protected from exposure to the toxic gas and they died as a result. (Source: KBMT 12newsnow.com, 10/28/13) Click the link to learn more about the deadly hazards of toxic gases at plants along the Texas Gulf Coast and OSHA’s role in ensuring worker safety.

Navigating the Jones Act, LHWCA, or State Workers’ Comp after an Injury

Angoumois_-_Engine_room_1_-_Main_engineIf you’ve suffered an on-the-job illness or injury in the maritime industry, you might find yourself wondering whether you have to seek remedies under the Jones Act, the LHWCA (Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act), or your state workers’ compensation laws. Especially if you work on a supply vessel or in some other maritime industry job that substantially divides your time with some hours worked on land and some aboard the ship, our Gulf Coast maritime injury lawyers understand that you may be uncertain which compensation scheme applies to you.

The U.S. Congress has over the years tried to pass laws to assure roughly equal treatment for all injured workers, but in its way, typically did not always make clear which law applies to which worker. In 1920, Congress passed the Merchant Marine Act, also known as the Jones Act for the lawmaker who sponsored it. The Jones Act formalized an employer’s obligation to provide for the maintenance and cure of injured or ill seamen. The Jones Act also provided that seamen could file negligence claims under the civil tort system and seek additional monetary damages from employers in some cases. But naturally, the Act did not clearly define “seaman.”

Litigation over the years has established that a seaman is a worker regularly employed on a vessel in navigable waters in a capacity that contributes to the functioning or the mission of the vessel. The Gulf Coast maritime injury lawyers at Denena Points, PC note that the seaman has to spend at least a certain percentage of his time in service to the vessel on navigable waters rather than on land. (For instance, a worker engaged in repairing ships in dry-dock might spend all of his working time on a vessel and in service to that vessel in a job that contributes to the functioning of the vessel, but he could not be considered a seaman under the Jones Act.)

The U.S. Congress passed the LHWCA in 1927 to provide relief to maritime industry workers who were not seamen employed regularly on navigable waters. The LHWCA is similar to state workers’ compensation schemes in that it provides a “no fault” system for the prompt medical treatment of and payment of benefits to injured or ill maritime workers who are not seamen.

Congress has also passed a law for offshore and continental shelf workers that provides relief, for example, to workers who become injured or ill while working on offshore oil platforms. And our Gulf Coast maritime injury lawyers should mention that there are also general maritime and admiralty laws that have governed the responsibilities of seamen and their employers for centuries.

In sum, if you work in the maritime industry and you’re injured or contract an illness on the job and need help paying your medical bills and getting back on your financial feet, you could need the help of an experienced Gulf Coast maritime injury lawyer to determine which compensation laws apply to you.

Contact the Experienced Gulf Coast Maritime Injury Lawyers at Denena Points, PC when You need Help Navigating the Compensation Laws

We offer a free and confidential initial legal consultation to discuss the specifics of your case, help you determine which compensation scheme applies, and evaluate your potential for a full financial recovery for your illness or injury. And we don’t charge attorneys’ fees unless we win your case for you. Call us at 713-807-9500 or reach us anytime by filling out our easy online contact form.

How the Jones Act could help You after a Maritime Injury Accident

Research and accident data reveal that more than 70% of maritime injury accidents are due to a failure in safe working practices. Our Houston and Galveston Jones Act lawyers note that these unsafe working conditions at sea are the basis for the Jones Act claims of a vessel’s unseaworthiness.

When a vessel is unseaworthy, or has unsafe working conditions, and you’re injured because of that, you could make a Jones Act claim for financial compensation because of the vessel owner’s negligence in not providing safe working conditions, complete training for workers, adequate safety procedures and communication in the vent of an emergency, a safe vessel, or safe equipment.

  • Lack of proper vessel maintenance or monitoring could lead to a failure to notice or prevent safety hazards. Maritime injury accidents involving mechanical failures, fires, and even explosions might result.
  • Insufficient staffing of a vessel could lead to fatigue and demoralization, which might result in crewmembers’ failure to notice or repair safety concerns and unsafe working conditions. And then accidents might occur with injuries or fatalities.
  • Operating manuals that are difficult to understand, in a language other than the one spoken by the crew, or too general for the particular equipment and machinery for which they’re used could also lead to maritime injury accidents resulting in injury or death.

If you’re a seaman accustomed to various unsafe working conditions of these types on vessels, you might not realize that they could form the basis for a valid Jones Act claim of unseaworthiness. Our Houston and Galveston Jones Act lawyers point out that the Jones Act and its provision for negligence claims based in “unseaworthiness” were enacted in order to help injured seamen, and the surviving relatives of seamen killed on the job, to obtain the fair financial compensation they need to restore themselves to a firm financial foundation, pay medical expenses, and move forward with their lives after a needless maritime injury accident.

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Most accidents are preventable. But they continue to occur. When you’re a seaman injured on the job, you need to understand your rights to fair financial compensation under the Jones Act.

Contact the Houston and Galveston Jones Act lawyers at Denena Points, PC for Help

We provide a free and confidential legal consultation to discuss your accident and assess your eligibility for fair financial compensation for your injuries. You have no obligation to hire an attorney, and we don’t charge attorneys’ fees unless we win your claim, so there’s no financial risk to you. Call us today at 281-369-4363 or reach us through our online contact form and let our Houston and Galveston Jones Act lawyers help you recover the compensation you deserve for your needless injury.

Gulf Seamen Injury Risk Serving Vessels for U.S. Busiest Port, Houston

HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL (FOR RELEASE)A Houston Chronicle article (by Kiah Collier 5/3/13) pointed out what you might already know: that Houston is the busiest port in the United States. This means that seamen face a high risk of injury in the waters off of the Port of Houston. Partly because more vessels are there more of the time, because of traffic congestion in the relatively narrow Houston Ship Channel, and because of the huge number of refineries and chemical and oil storage facilities flanking the Channel.

The Port of Houston Hosts the Second Largest Petrochemical Complex in the World, a Complex full of Combustible Materials

 

Our Gulf Coast maritime accident lawyers note that the 25-mile network of docks making up the Port of Houston also host the second largest petrochemical complex in the world. This complex contains the refineries, chemical plants, and storage tanks producing and storing products for shipment around the world. Predictably, over 60% of the ships docking at the Port of Houston service the petrochemical industry.

The Texas City disaster in 1947, which has received a lot of attention recently due to comparisons with the recent deadly explosions in West, Texas, reveals the inherent risk to seamen. In 1947, a ship loaded with ammonium nitrate exploded, killing approximately 600 people in one of the worst industrial disasters ever.

The Gulf Coast maritime accident lawyers at Denena Points, PC note that for the past 20 years at least, the Port of Houston was the destination for more imports than any other U.S. port. And for 14 consecutive years, Houston’s port has imported and exported more foreign cargo tonnage than any other U.S. port. The Port of Houston moves more than 230 tons of cargo each year through the Houston Ship Channel, a 54-mile waterway created by dredging the area’s bayous and swamps. The Ship Channel connects the Port of Houston to the Gulf of Mexico.

The Jones Act could provide Compensation for Seamen injured on the Job

If you’re a U.S. seaman injured on the job while serving a vessel moving cargo to or from the Port of Houston, your work is inherently dangerous. And you should know that the Jones Act (the U.S. Merchant Marine Act of 1920) entitles you to have your medical bills paid by your employer. But the requirements for collecting compensation under the Jones Act can be complex, and in many cases, seamen have looked to the wrong provisions of the Act to help them, and therefore they lost their cases.

An injury or wrongful death claim under the Jones Act is better handled by a Gulf Coast maritime accident lawyer with experience in the complexities of the Jones Act and general maritime law. For instance, your employer might be liable for the costs of your injury under the Jones Act doctrine of unseaworthiness, a doctrine of negligence that basically means that you worked under inherently unsafe conditions on the job. An experienced Gulf Coast maritime accident lawyer could be of great benefit to you as you try to obtain fair financial compensation for the needless harm you suffered on the job.

Contact the Gulf Coast Maritime Accident Lawyers at Denena Points, PC if You’re a Seaman or Offshore Worker or a Family member of Someone Injured on the Job in the Gulf of Mexico

We provide a free and confidential legal consultation to discuss your accident in-depth and evaluate your potential eligibility for financial compensation for your needless injuries. You have no obligation to hire an attorney. And our more than 15 years of experience successfully representing injured clients and their family members could guide you to a full financial recovery for the needless harm you’ve suffered. We don’t charge you any attorneys’ fees unless we WIN your case, so there’s no financial risk to you. Call us today at 281-369-4363 or reach us anytime through our convenient online contact form.

Poor Food, Foul Odors and No Fun on Fear and Frustration Filled Cruise

Continued from Part 1. Periodic reports from the crippled cruise ship had passengers describing the stench as intense and sickening. They also said that food was scarce and of limited quantity and quality. Cold cuts and such were the norm. And our Gulf Coast injury lawyers note that hot food brought aboard from another vessel apparently ran out before passengers at the ends of the 3 to 4 hour lines received their meals.

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Passengers quoted by various news stories mentioned that the food had been much better on Thursday as the cruise ship approached Mobile and relief. Some passengers described the flurry of cleaning efforts and the better food as an attempt by the cruise line to cover-up the actual conditions that the passengers had to experience during the nightmare voyage. Our Gulf Coast injury lawyers hope that some of the passengers had been able to charge their cell phones and take photos and videos of the actual conditions experienced in order to later support their stories against any attempts by Carnival to deny the horrific conditions.

Cruise Line Statements about the Crippled and Crappy (as in Sewage) Voyage

Some passengers’ family members’ had been expressing frustration over the course of the crisis since Sunday. They said that when they would call the cruise line to try and get some solid information about the condition of relatives aboard the Triumph, the cruise line employees on the phone would say that everything was fine.

Public statements from the cruise line were vague and infrequent as the voyage unfolded, with the CEO finally coming out with apologies and the cruise line offering full refunds and transportation home. Though passengers and crew thankfully avoided injury from the engine room fire itself, the subsequent limping voyage of the powerless and odiferous vessel back to port has become a public relations disaster. And our Gulf Coast injury lawyers emphasize that the port the ship finally reached is several U.S. states away from the home port of Galveston that the passengers and crew had expected as their destination when the voyage began.

Cruise Industry Power and the Prevalence of Foreign Flags

 

You should know that he cruise industry wields an immense amount of power. As one of the few large industries that continued to grow and generate U.S. jobs during the bleak recession, the cruise industry usually gets its way when it wants something from authorities.

So when cruise lines choose to flag their vessels in Liberia, the Bahamas, and other third world nations that allow them the benefit of lax labor and safety laws, U.S. legislators look the other way. Because the money keeps rolling in as the industry continues to grow. The Carnival Triumph reportedly is flagged in the Bahamas, which gives the Bahamian agencies primary enforcement authority over the ship and its conditions.

But don’t hold your breath waiting for the Bahamanian authorities to take a hard line about whatever happened aboard the Triumph and any negligence regarding maintenance or safety that might have caused the engine room fire. Our Gulf Coast injury lawyers understand that the cruise ship will remain in the Mobile shipyard to undergo inspection and repair. Let’s hope that the NTSB and the Coast Guard make a thorough investigation and take some firm steps with this case that could ensure safety for further cruises.

Contact the Gulf Coast Injury Lawyers at Denena Points, PC for a FREE Legal Consultation if You need Relief after a Disastrous Cruise Ship Voyage

We offer a free initial legal consultation to discuss your case and evaluate your potential eligibility for financial relief from your injuries. You have no obligation to hire an attorney. And we won’t charge attorney’s fees unless we win your claim. With more than 15 years of experience helping injured victims successfully obtain full financial recoveries for the needless harm they’ve suffered, we could help you too. Call us today at 281-369-4363 or fill out our online contact form to reach us anytime.

Horrific Cruise Finally reaches End as Carnival Triumph reaches Mobile

What’s been happening aboard the crippled Carnival cruise ship as it’s been stranded in the Gulf of Mexico and then made its way painfully slowly towards port under tow? That’s in dispute and the U.S. NTSB and Coast Guard are apparently already aboard beginning their investigation.

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Horrific Conditions and Possible Cover-up Attempts Reported by Passengers

Our Gulf Coast Injury Lawyers note that passengers aboard the stricken Carnival Triumph detailed a flurry of intense clean-up activity aboard Thursday as the cruise ship approached port in Mobile, Alabama. At least one passenger was quoted as saying that some cleanup teams had worked long shifts and skipped sleep periods to further the efforts. (Source: Sandra Endo, Rich Phillips, Tom Watkins, Chandler Friedman, Victor Blackwell, Tristan Smith, Joe Sutton, Mike Ahlers, Dave Alsup, Chuck Johnston, Esprit Smith, Greg Botelho, Katia Hetter and Marnie Hunter, CNN, 2/14/13)

Reportedly, soiled mattresses and bedding were hauled below. Presumably some intense scrubbing of decks and walls was involved in the effort, as several passengers had reported water and feces running across floors and down walls from one deck to another during the horrific cruise.

With power out, pipes apparently began to block soon after the engine room fire on Sunday. Our Gulf Coast injury lawyers point out that the ship has reportedly been listing to one side periodically. And a passenger reported that when the ship would list, full toilets that could not flush properly tipped their sewage onto the floor to run across the decks. The lower floors in the lower decks were reportedly the worst, with floors “squishing,” some flooding, and mattresses that had been pulled into hallways for sleeping passengers becoming soiled with the spilled waste.

Power Interruptions, Confusion, Delays, and a Crawling Journey into Port for the Crippled Ship

Back-up generators were providing intermittent power after the fire. But intermittent interruptions in the power supply reportedly caused section containment doors to slam down, frightening and confusing some passengers, who thought they were trapped. Some passengers mentioning these events expressed frustration that apparently crew communication with the passengers was inadequate to clarify what was going on.

Various delays and deviations from prior updates also troubled passengers hoping for port and relief. For instance, early on Thursday, the cruise ship’s already slow (our Gulf Coast injury lawyers understand that it was only about 5 mph) progress towards shore was halted for an additional hour or more when the towline on the lead tugboat snapped. The broken towline was reportedly whipping around in the water, and passengers were told to stay inside for safety reasons until the situation could be corrected.

Even as it finally approached port, the Carnival Triumph had to make a slow and careful approach. The bay off Mobile is wide and shallow, only 10 feet deep in places. The ship channel, down which the Triumph passed, escorted carefully by four tugboats with experienced crews, is almost 50 feet deep. The channel inside Mobile Bay is only 400 feet wide, and the 14 -story, 893 foot long Triumph is itself 115 wide. (Source: Jay Reeves and Ramit Plushnick-Masti, Associated Press, 2/14/13)

The Gulf Coast injury lawyers at Denena Points, PC mention that the Triumph is the largest cruise ship ever to dock in Mobile and no Carnival cruise ships have docked there since 2011, so extra care was a necessity to avoid accidents. Customs cleared the passengers before docking to expedite disembarkation. But that process was still expected to take several hours for the 3,000+ passengers.

News accounts described hundreds of friends, family, and onlookers dockside waiting for the ship, as well as numerous buses chartered from several states by Carnival, and Coast Guard authorities waiting to board as well. Our Gulf Coast injury lawyers hope that the passengers all have safe journeys home and their ordeal is finally over and they can find relief.

Continue to Part 2 to read about conflicting statement on the conditions aboard the Triumph and the power the cruise industry wields to keep itself profitable and passengers without good recourse for troubled vacation voyages.

On Cruise Ship Engine Room Fires and Cruise Industry Safety Problems

Continued from Part 1. Carnival has announced that it has now cancelled the next 14 scheduled cruises for the Triumph. They probably rethought the situation and realized it will take the equivalent of 14 voyages to clean the mess out. Coast Guard and NTSB investigators are greeting the ship when it arrives in port. They will begin an investigation into the cause of the fire, resulting conditions aboard ship, and treatment of those aboard. Our Galveston cruise ship injury attorneys don’t envy them their task.

Engine Room Fires on Cruise Ships and Previous Mechanical Problems aboard the Triumph

The Triumph has reportedly been having mechanical problems. An electrical problem in an alternator led to a delay in departure on a cruise in January for instance. After the current engine room fire, the Coast Guard loaded aboard extra electrical equipment yesterday to help boost power supplies and alleviate some of the Triumph’s woes.

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And cruise ship engine room fires are not as rare as you might think. They just don’t usually receive widespread publicity. Our Galveston cruise ship injury attorneys point out that the major news event that the crippled cruise of the Triumph has become is unusual. An average of 4 serious engine room fires have occurred on cruise ships each year over the last two decades.

We already mentioned in another article the example of the Carnival Splendor that became stranded off of San Diego in November 2010. And since we mentioned the Coast Concordia disaster as well in relation to failed cruise ship safety, we might as well mention the engine room fire that crippled the Costa Allegra. To add to the burden of passengers and crew on that voyage, the Costa Allegra broke down in pirate-infested waters.

Carnival cruise lines has apologized for conditions aboard the Carnival Triumph since the fire, and is offering a full refund package that includes travel home, a credit for a subsequent cruise, and $500. But our Galveston cruise ship injury attorneys haven’t heard anything reliable regarding the cause of the engine room fire. Carnival is saying that it wasn’t the electrical problem that had caused earlier problems in an alternator there. So what was it? A major explosion like on the Queen Mary II? A leaking fuel line like on the recalled Toyotas we discussed a few weeks back? Poor maintenance? Faulty wiring?

Victims of Injuries from a Cruise Accident have Legal Recourse

 

The only good thing about the fire is that automatic systems succeeded in extinguishing it relatively quickly without injuries to crew or passengers. And, all things considered, the indignities of sleeping on deck, suffering noxious smells from running sewage, and food fights are preferable to serious burn injuries or the ship going down like the Costa Concordia.

But a lesser injury is still an injury. People aboard the Triumph have reportedly been pooping in biohazard bags. And our Galveston cruise ship injury attorneys point out that some evidently have been pooping outside of such bags since the decks and cabin walls are said to be running with feces. Unsanitary conditions compounded by heat on a crowded ship create a breeding ground for biohazards.

Should passengers or crew be sickened or injured by their recent stay aboard the unfortunately misnamed Triumph, they may be eligible for full compensation for the costs of their injuries and losses. The financial compensation for which they might be eligible could go beyond the refund offered by Carnival to include lost wages, medical expense, and pain and suffering, among other costs.

Contact the Galveston Cruise Ship Injury Attorneys at Denena Points, PC for a FREE Legal Consultation

We offer a free and confidential initial consultation to those who have been injured or become ill while aboard a cruise ship. Where your injury or illness is a result of cruise line negligence, you might be eligible for a financial recovery. Give us a call at 281-369-4363 or fill out our online contact form. We could discuss your specific injury and help you evaluate your potential eligibility for financial compensation after your needless injury. We’ve been helping injured victims successfully recover for more than 15 years. We could help you too.

Triumph under Tow: When Carnival Cruise Vacations go Dangerously Wrong

The sad saga of the Carnival Triumph becomes more alarming each day. For instance, now we’re hearing that passengers had to fight for the limited food supplies. Passengers stand in lines for up to 4 hours or more to receive food, and those at the end of the line may receive nothing but an empty bun and ketchup while those at the head of the line helped themselves to as many burgers as they pleased.

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Free Alcohol to Help Stranded Passengers Forget their Woes?

And reports are saying that after earlier enforcing a ban on alcohol, the Triumph crew is now passing out free wine and beer to passengers. Our Galveston cruise ship injury attorneys wonder if perhaps the Carnival cruise line hopes that imbibing passengers will disembark later today with a hazy memory or no memory at all of what sound like an abominable vacation experience. Or maybe that the alcohol will minimize the chances of germs on the dirty ship breaking out into relentless illness.

Raw Sewage and Sweltering Heat Creating a Cruise Vacation Nightmare

The Galveston cruise ship injury attorneys at Denena Points, PC are fortunate that we only have to imagine what the voyage has been like. We are not among those unfortunate passengers and crew who had to experience it and smell it. Apparently waste water and feces run freely aboard the ship, with some cabins flooded. And with no air conditioning aboard and the ship cruising under hot, sunny skies, the foul odors must be reaching epic proportions.

Our Galveston cruise ship injury attorneys are pleasantly surprised no serious illnesses have broken out. Cruises without other problems have suffered outbreaks of the Norovirus for instance, where a majority of passengers and even crewmembers succumb to the unpleasant illness.

The Triumph’s Cruise was Intended as a Reward for Some Company Employees

Some news reports have mentioned that among the 3,000+ passengers aboard the Triumph are about 350 employees of McDonald’s and their family members. The cruise was supposed to be a reward for a job well done. After this cruise, cautious employees might think twice about working hard and choose to slack off and stay safely home instead. (Note to boss: next time a cash bonus in lieu of a cruise would be appreciated….)

On paper, the 4-day scheduled cruise must have sounded like a low-risk cruise. Going to and from Galveston within the Gulf of Mexico, it avoided the obvious risks of longer cruises or more adventurous travel destinations. Since the fire though, a Coast Guard boat has been protecting the Triumph as it’s been under tow into port. So at least pirates would not find the crippled ship an easy target. Actually, sensible pirates would probably choose to target a cleaner ship.

Continue to Part 2 to read about Carnival’s reaction to the crippled cruise and the upcoming NTSB investigation.

How Safe are You on a Cruise Ship out in the Gulf of Mexico?

Ever wonder how safe you really are once you board a cruise ship and head out onto open water? Cruises are billed as fun- and food-filled relaxing vacation voyages. But your journey over open water might not be as safe and fun as you might believe.

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You’ve probably already seen the news about the Carnival cruise ship, inaptly named the Triumph, that caught on fire in the engine room Sunday morning. The cruise had left Galveston on Thursday and was intended to return to that same port on Monday.

But the engine room fire knocked out the ship’s power. Our Galveston maritime accident attorneys point out that news reports have said that no one was injured in the fire, though they did not state the cause of it. But those same reports have carried accounts of cell phone exchanges between cruise passengers and family members ashore.

The passengers tell of water and feces on the decks and in the corridors because toilet service was suspended along with everything else. They tell of people sleeping on deck in tents because it’s cooler than in the powerless staterooms. They tell of people getting sick and throwing up, perhaps due to germ buildup in the scattered waste.

Stranded Carnival Cruise Ship is Currently Expected to be Towed into Port in Alabama

 

Another Carnival cruise ship had brought food and water supplies to the stranded passengers and crew of the Triumph as they waited to be towed into port. Originally the Triumph, stranded off the coast of Yucatan, Mexico, was to be towed by two boats into port in Progreso, Mexico. One towboat was from the United States and one was being dispatched from Mexico.

On Monday, our Galveston maritime accident attorneys remark that updated reports said the Triumph would be towed into Mobile, Alabama due to the direction of the prevailing current. Apparently the passengers will be flown home and receive a full refund that they can apply towards another cruise. We bet they can’t wait to board another cruise ship….

Carnival has admitted that the cruise ship in question had been having some electrical problems. Though the cruise line says those problems aren’t related to the fire. This implies even more endemic problems that they aren’t admitting.

You might remember that in November 2010, passengers and crew of another Carnival cruise ship were similarly stranded for several days at sea under markedly unpleasant conditions after a fire in the engine room. That ship ended up returning to San Diego. (Source: Adela Uchida, abc13.com, 2/11/13)

Deadly Cruise Ship Safety Drill gone Wrong in the Canary Islands

In another tragic cruise ship disaster over the last few days, the Thomson Majesty, a British-registered ship in port in the Spanish Canary Islands, lost five crewmembers to a deadly lifeboat drill meant to instruct passengers and crew on shipboard safety. Our Galveston maritime accident attorneys note that three otter crewmembers were hospitalized in the deadly accident. Apparently, a lifeboat containing some of the crew overturned and dropped into the sea upside down during the safety drill. No cause was given for this horrific mishap.

Learn about cruise ship safety drill requirements. Click on this article by our Galveston maritime accident attorneys.

Questions about Your Traumatic Accident or Injury at Sea? Contact the Galveston Maritime Accident Attorneys at Denena Points, PC for a Free and Confidential Legal Consultation

We offer a free initial legal consultation to discuss your accident and evaluate your potential eligibility for a full financial recovery for your injuries. You have no obligation to hire an attorney. Call us today at 281-369-4363 or get in touch through our online contact form. We’re here to help you find relief after you’ve suffered needless trauma and injury.

The Illusion of a Carnival City at Sea and Life’s Ugly Reality Checks

The Galveston cruise injury attorneys ask you to imagine being on a city at sea. The city initially appears bright, clean, beautiful, and an exciting place to be. But then something goes wrong and you realize that the city at sea has no real infrastructure. Food and water supplies are all loaded aboard occasionally just like you were yourself. There’s no true sewage treatment or waste recycling system. Power relies on a working engine room. And the engine rooms of Carnival’s cities at sea have shown an alarming tendency to catch on fire and leave their dependent cities without power, propulsion, or stabilizers.

101109-N-5684M-082This is in fact what happened on the Carnival cruise ship called Triumph on Sunday. And in November 2010, another Carnival cruise ship, the Splendor, limped back into port in San Diego after several days stranded at sea like the Triumph. Our Galveston cruise injury attorneys remark that this fate does not exactly represent the luxury vacation of your dreams. More like a nightmare of a refugee camp disaster.

Thousands of People are Stranded on the Carnival Triumph in the Gulf of Mexico

The Carnival Triumph has 3,143 passengers and 1,086 crewmembers aboard the stinking vessel. Originally the ship, which caught fire Sunday morning as it was beginning the return leg of its trip and heading back to Galveston, was left adrift without power off the coast of Yucatan, Mexico. Two tugboats, one from the U.S. and one from Mexico, were dispatched to retrieve the mammoth ship and tow it back into port.

Crippled Cruise Ship is Expected to Finally Achieve Port Days Later than Planned

The destination port was originally scheduled to be Progreso, Mexico. But now the ship is expected to dock in Mobile, Alabama sometime on Thursday, three days later than travelers originally planned. The first tugboat arrived Monday evening and the second was scheduled to arrive today. Cruise line spokesmen say that strong currents that pushed the drifting Carnival Triumph northward led to the change in destination plans. But our Galveston cruise injury attorneys note that they’ve also emphasized that the U.S. port will make it easier for those travelers without U.S. passports to disembark.

Ships have rendezvoused with the Triumph to bring additional food supplies. The other ships’ proximity has also allowed some passengers to use their cell phones from time to time. At least one passenger with a medical condition was taken off the Carnival Triumph by another vessel. And at least one report has said that the massive cruise ship was listing to one side on Sunday, apparently having lost some its stability after the fire. People are reportedly becoming ill and throwing up, whether from the accumulating stench or actual illness is unreported.

Carnival cruise lines have said it will fly passengers home once they reach port in Mobile. It will also offer full refunds and credits for another cruise. Our Galveston cruise injury attorneys suspect that many passengers might decline the free cruise offer, no doubt having collected enough vivid cruise memories for a lifetime just from this voyage.

Contact the Galveston Cruise Injury Attorneys at Denena Points, PC if You need Help after a Disastrous Vacation aboard a City at Sea

You pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for your few brief days of fun in the sun aboard the titanic cruise ships. You have a right to expect a vacation free from fear, illness, injury, or protracted confinement under dangerous conditions.

 

Your health is at risk when you’re confined on a contained vessel lacking working toilets, climate control, and power. Contact us for a free and confidential legal consultation if you’ve been the victim of a cruise ship accident. We can be reached direct at 281-369-4363 or anytime via our online contact form. Over the past 15 years, we’ve helped hundred of unjustly injured victims obtain full financial recoveries for their injuries. We could help you too.