While investigating fires aboard Carnival Cruise ships during the past 10 years, there have been several reports related to fires, one fire reported was onboard the carnival cruise ship Ecstasy as it was leaving Miami in 1998.
Another ship fire involving Carnival Cruise Ship was reported involving the ship Tropicale, at the time of this ship fire there were 1700 passengers onboard the ship, as a result of this fire, passengers and crew members were stranded for two days. Following the Tropicale ship fire, reports revealed that the ship had dangerous mechanical problems prior to the voyage with the 1700 passengers on board as the investigation ensued the Captain of the ship stated that he was in fear of an explosion in the engine room.
The Princess cruise ship was the next to catch on fire with reports only coming from one passenger, as the cruise liner didn’t want the negative publicity that would harm their business, the only reports being submitted to the United States were from a passenger on board the ship at the time of the fire. This lone passenger who kept the United States posted by tweeting to family and friends was the only connection, while the cruise ship focused only on those things that could affect their reputation.
In 2006 a ship called the star princess, reported a fire that destroyed many cabins and took the life of one passenger onboard the ship. This deadly fire was caused by a passenger flicking a cigarette off of the top balcony. The necessary precautions to prevent this from happening were not in place at the time of the fire.
With all of the above fires Carnival Cruise Lines, had prior knowledge of dangers onboard each of the ships, but still allowed passengers to board the ship, knowing the possibility of a fire was present, putting passengers at risk as well as the crew of the ship.
When a loved one is killed as a result of a fire onboard a cruise ship, it is mandatory to seek the skills of a qualified attorney, the attorney you chose would be those who practice maritime law, a maritime lawyer has the ability to fight for you based on his/her experience with offshore law. In addition do not accept the meager amount that the cruise liner tries to get you to settle for, always seek a lawyer before signing any papers.
