Duty Owed by Costa Cruise Lines to its Passengers
While you are on a cruise with Costa Cruises, you should be able to relax, knowing that your safety and wellbeing will be preserved. All cruise lines owe the duty of “reasonable care under the circumstances” to provide a safe place and to undertake procedures in a “reasonably safe” manner. These duties include the obligations:
- To prevent the creation of an unsafe condition,
- To remedy in a timely fashion an unsafe condition, and
- To warn of non-obvious unsafe conditions.
Importantly, if the unsafe condition is beyond, meaning off, the vessel, say for example in a port of call, the duty of reasonable care can include a duty to warn of known dangers beyond the point of debarkation in places where passengers are invited or reasonably anticipated to go. Costa has not been spared when it comes to marine disasters.
Case in point, the Costa Concordia (2006-2012) which ran aground of the coast of Giglio Island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, capsized and partially sunk on January 13, 2012. More than 4,200 passengers and crew were rescued from the vessel, though 32 people died. Several of the ship’s crew, notably Capt. Francesco Schettino, were charged with various crimes. Capt. Schettino was charged with manslaughter as well as causing the wreck and abandoning ship. He was subsequently found guilty of all charges and sentenced to 16 years in prison. The Concordia was later deemed a total constructive loss and the shipwreck was later removed and dismantled for scrap in Genoa. For all intents and purposes, the Concordia was a modern-day Titanic. If you suffer an injury or get sick, you may be able to recover compensation from Costa Cruises. It is important to consult a seasoned maritime attorney about the viability of your claim. At the Brais Law Firm, our Costa Cruises injury lawyers may be able to help you.
