Offshore injuries covered under maritime law are not only those injuries related to
workers compensation claims, but those related to injuries received while
aboard a passenger ship as well. Passengers aboard a passenger ship are to
expect the ship to be seaworthy and safe as well as to have a captain and crew
aboard the ship that put the safety of the passengers above all else.
During the most recent ship wreck that involved the negligence of the Captain Francesco
Schettino, who apparently abandoned the ship when it struck rock, later he is
claiming that he tripped, falling into a lifeboat rather than the reported
abandonment of the ship. Captain Francesco Schettino, is under house arrest after
refusing to go back on the ship on the night of the accident, as of the most
recent reports. There have been a total of eleven deaths related to this ship
wreck and some of those victims are from the United States as well as other
countries.
Captain Francesco Schettino, was given orders by the Coast Guard Captain, Gregorio Defalco to go back on the ship and was recorded refusing to go back on the ship even when he was told there were casualties, he later excused himself by complaining about
not being able to see in the dark.
While this tragic ship wreck is being investigated, there are many more issues regarding
the rights of those who lost loved ones during this event, and with the questions related, such as the following:
- Who is at fault?
- Is the Ship Company to blame?
- Did the Ship maker know that Captain Francesco Schettino, was having a problem navigating near the rock?
- Why were adequate lifeboats not on the Ship?
- Who will take care of the injured passengers medical bills?
- What damages should I seek in a lawsuit related to the loss of my loved one who was aboard the Costa Concordia, when the ship wreck occurred?
When a tragic event such as that of the Costa Concordia ship wreck, it is clearly based on negligence as a Captain who is supposed to know how to navigate a ship before being allowed to control one, who not only showed little concern for the people aboard the ship, but a total disregard for his superiors as well with a blatant refusal to go back to the
ship and coordinate an effort to save lives.
