Several news outlets have reported a Grand Princess cruise ship that left Los Angeles for Hawaii earlier this month recently returned to port with crew members and passengers who had tested positive for COVID-19. As Fort Lauderdale cruise ship injury attorney Keith Brais has previously explained, individuals who contract COVID-19 onboard cruise ships may have grounds to sue the cruise line in many cases.

Princess Cruises’ Statements Conflict with Passenger’s Account

According to one news outlet, an official with Princess cruises, “said all guests and crew members who tested positive were isolated while being cared for by the ship’s medical team.” However, this statement conflicts with at least one passenger’s personal account. Another news outlet reported the story of a registered nurse and her 80-year-old mother who said they contracted COVID-19 onboard. According to the nurse, “nobody checked in on them,” and while a paramedic brought them Tylenol and cough medicine after multiple requests, they were “denied any medical visits from a doctor or nurse.”

Princess Cruises has not confirmed how many crew members and passengers tested positive, and it is unclear whether anyone suffered serious or fatal complications onboard or after disembarking. While Princess Cruises issued a statement that the Grand Princess, “operated as a highly vaccinated cruise, as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) [with m]ore than 95% of the guests are vaccinated [and] crew vaccination rates . . . at 100%,” the nurse who got sick said she believes that “hundreds” of people onboard had COVID-19.

Filing a Lawsuit Against a Cruise Line for COVID-19

Cruise line liability was a major topic of discussion during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was due in no small part to the fact that there was strong evidence to suggest that the first wave of COVID-19 in the United States was the result of infected cruise passengers returning to shore.

Since then, there have been several lawsuits filed against multiple cruise lines arising out of passengers’ and crew members’ exposure to COVID-19 onboard. Now that we know more about the virus and how to prevent its spread, passengers and crew members may have even stronger claims against the cruise lines when they get sick at sea.

From failure to adequately sanitize their ships to failure to adequately screen passengers and crew members, there are several potential grounds for claims related to COVID-19 exposure onboard cruise ships. As with all health and safety hazards, cruise lines have a duty to protect their passengers and crew members from undue risk of COVID-19 exposure. When cruise lines fail to meet this duty, they can—and should—be held accountable for victims’ and families’ losses.

Request a Free Consultation with a Fort Lauderdale Cruise Ship Injury Attorney

Have you (or has a loved one) been diagnosed with COVID-19 onboard a cruise ship? If so, you and your family may be entitled to financial compensation. To discuss your legal rights with an experienced Fort Lauderdale cruise ship injury attorney in confidence, call 800-499-0551 or request a free consultation online now.


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