First lawsuits filed against Royal Caribbean for sailing Anthem directly into path of dangerous storm

First lawsuits filed against Royal Caribbean for sailing Anthem directly into path of dangerous storm
Anthem pool deck Elwell photo
Storm that wrecked Anthem
Storm that wrecked Anthem

Those responsible for sending Anthem into the path of the storm should be terminated.

After sailing on Royal Caribbean-owned ships dozens of times, I had grown to have enormous respect for their company, fleet, captains, and crews. While Carnival had a series of fiascos with fires and capsized ships which caused major turmoil and death for its passengers, Royal Caribbean proved to be worthy of patronage.

When the company sailed the Anthem of The Seas directly into the path of a dangerous storm, they destroyed every bit of confidence I had in the firm.

While consumers accept risk in travel, no matter the form, there are few people who would board a train in which the railroad would deliberately send the train onto a track leading to a cliff. That is what Royal Caribbean did in the case of the Anthem – loaded with over 6,000 souls. Worse yet, the company, its officials, and the Captain all lied about the weather forecasts and misled everyone about the damage sustained to the ship’s propulsion.

What the motive was of the Royal Caribbean officials in sending the ship on its scheduled course in spite of a frightful forecast can only be learned through litigation and investigation – both of which hopefully will illuminate the dark and dangerous decision-making in this event.

Royal Caribbean has been trying to lure customers back onto its ships with a deep discount, and it is likely that many will bite. I won’t be one of them at any price.

Loyal Royal Caribbean customers and stockholders should demand answers from the management of this firm for its reckless and dangerous actions. It is clear that the best way to stay safe on the high seas is to avoid Royal Caribbean ships until there is accountability in this matter and the heads of those responsible roll out the door. – Ken Rossignol

Anthem pool deck Elwell photo
Anthem pool deck Elwell photo

Anthem of the Seas Lawsuits: Royal Caribbean Recklessly Sailed Into Storm

Today, Miami lawyers filed suit on behalf of a cruise passenger who sailed aboard the Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas on Sunday, February 7th. The Lipcon law firm. based here in Miami, has filed a proposed class action lawsuit against Royal Caribbean in Federal Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Anyone who has read this blog in the last two weeks knows how I feel about the cruise in question. There is little doubt that the cruise line acted recklessly by ignoring weather forecasts of hurricane strength winds and 30 foot waves of this Altantic winter storm.  The winds strengthened, as to be expected in a storm like this, to well over 100 MPH. Many passengers experiencedAnthem of the Seas Storm Lawsuitterrifying experiences where some passengers were fearful of losing their lives and those of their loved ones on the cruise ship.

The Anthem of the Seas returned to New Jersey with severe damage to its propulsion system, among other damage.

The captain of the Anthem of the Seas said during a talk to the passengers after the storm that he expected waves of only 12 to 15 foot waves.  But weather forecasts indicate that much higher waves, to over 30 feet, were expected. This means that the cruise line did not provide accurate weather reports to the captain or he ignored them. Navigation officers are required to up load “passage plans” pursuant to the the International Safety Management (ISM) codes before they sail. This information will quickly reveal exactly what weather conditions the captain anticipated during the ill-fated cruise in question.

ABC reports that any passenger who was on the ship can be represented in the lawsuit, which covers both passengers who suffered physical injuries and those passengers who are alleging only severe emotional, psychological and emotional stress.

You can read the lawsuit papers here.

At least one other lawsuit was filed last week by a lawyer in Houston, Texas.

Our firm will be representing passengers who sustained physical injuries during the storm.

Cruise lines ordinarily have a duty of only “reasonable care” under the circumstances. But in instances of rough weather, cruise lines have a much higher duty of care toward the passengers. Some characterize this duty as the “highest duty of care” of the passengers when the ship is expected to encounter rough weather.

Can it seriously be argued that Royal Caribbean exercised a “high care” when it sailed 4,500 passengers, including the elderly and children, into a winter storm forecast to bash the ship with hurricane strength winds and waves over 30 feet?

Read our last article on the Anthem of the Seas fiasco.

 

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