If your loved one died or went missing while aboard a cruise ship, you can file a cruise passenger disappearances lawsuit to hold the cruise ship liable. Cruise ship deaths are tragic! Unfortunately, hundreds of people have gone missing from cruise ships in the past 20 years. In fact, from 2000 to 2017, about 200 people disappeared from cruise ships.
One does not often hear of cruise ship passenger disappearances. However, these disappearances occur more frequently than we think. In addition, the cruise lines often do not report persons as “missing” or “presumed dead.” Sometimes, they just assume that the employee or passenger left the ship and chose not to return on their own accord and found another method of returning home. It appears that cruise lines do not maintain statistics about missing persons; even if they do, they are not made known to the public. In cases where a person goes overboard, the cruise line will most often assert that it must have been a case of suicide. They would often point to foul play or an accidental fall to avoid liability.
Only a few persons, crew members, or passengers are reported to fall overboard each year. Here are some findings regarding those who fall overboard:
Some of the common reasons passengers disappear aboard a cruise ship include the following:
Filing cruise passenger disappearances lawsuit can help you recover all the losses. All you have to do is look for the top lawyers that can help you satisfy all your needs accurately.
Cruise lines could be held liable for the following:
A passenger could easily fall off a cruise ship if the handrails are of inadequate height or are defective. Congress passed the Cruise Safety Act of 2010, which required all cruise ships calling on U.S. ports to have handrails no less than 42 inches above the cabin deck by January 2012. Therefore, if the cruise ship is outfitted with inadequate or defective handrails, the negligent cruise line can be held liable for the passenger falling overboard or disappearing.
Cruise lines are obligated to warn their passengers of known dangers or dangers of which they should have known. In the context of cruise ship passenger disappearance or loss, this duty usually arises when the ship is expected to encounter rough seas.
Oftentimes at sea, weather conditions can deteriorate rapidly. Nearly all cruise ships are equipped with state-of-the-art weather radar and have access to forecasts and conditions for the areas they are sailing. As such, the “deck officers” know when the ship is about to cruise into rough seas; whereas, the passengers (who are enjoying their vacations) do not. Consequently, cruise lines must warn of approaching storms and the dangers of being near the rails during rough seas. If a cruise line fails to warn of such approaching dangers, it may be held liable for passengers who fall overboard during a storm.
Another cause attributable to passengers falling overboard or disappearing is intoxication. Cruise lines must not serve their passengers alcohol to the point of intoxication. Should a passenger become intoxicated, the cruise line must do everything it can to protect them from disability. If the cruise line failed to carry its duty, the trusted cruise ship accident attorneys will help you file your case against the negligent operator.
Passenger disappearances may also be a result of the violent actions of the cruise ship’s crew members. Cruise lines have the absolute duty to protect their passengers against physical assaults by crew members. As such, should a passenger be pushed overboard by a crew member, the cruise line will be liable even if the crew member has no history of violent behavior.
Cruise lines may also be responsible for disappearances caused by the violent acts of their passengers. However, unlike the violent actions of their crew members for which the cruise line is strictly liable,you can file cruise passenger disappearances lawsuit if it could have anticipated the violent activity of the other passenger and could have prevented the injury.
Once a missing passenger is reported, the cruise line must perform a reasonable search and rescue operation. Should the cruise line fail to conduct a search and rescue operation or perform such an operation in an inadequate way, it will be liable for the death or further injury of the passenger.
The 23-year-old went missing from her Royal Caribbean International Cruise in 1998. Witnesses claim to have seen her in the years following her disappearance.
The single mother booked a room aboard a Celebrity Cruise. However, according to records, she did not use her room after the first night. She was finally reported to the FBI as missing weeks after the event.
This British woman was working as a nanny when she allegedly fell overboard after climbing over a security wall. Her family suspects foul play.
Nicholas began his post-graduate career clerking for the Honorable Linda Rovder Fleming in the Cambria County Court of Common Pleas. From there, he quickly found his calling in workers’ compensation, personal injury, and Social Security disability law—areas where he could directly impact people’s lives in moments of crisis. He’s helped clients navigate complex legal claims, including securing a settlement exceeding $300,000.
Nicholas brings clear communication, genuine empathy, and an unrelenting drive to achieve the best outcomes for his clients. Whether he’s navigating a complex workers’ comp claim or pushing for a major settlement, he brings focus, dedication, and deep legal knowledge to every case.
He’s also a proud member of Pennsylvania Advocates for Justice and remains active in various professional legal organizations. Nicholas is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania.
When he’s not fighting for the injured, Nicholas is enjoying time with his family, kicking a soccer ball around, hitting the golf course, or cheering on Pittsburgh’s local teams.
Joe Ring heads the workers’ compensation department at Ethen Ostroff Law, where he takes pride in fighting for injured workers.
Joe is a Philadelphia native and maintains deep roots in the area. As the grandson of a Philadelphia Firefighter, son of a Philadelphia public school teacher, and veteran of the United State Marine Corps, he was taught to value service, dedication, and hard work. He applies these values to every case and takes great satisfaction in representing hard-working clients with those same traits.
After obtaining his bachelor’s degree in history from St. Vincent College in Western Pennsylvania, he graduated from Villanova Law School in 2012 and, since then, has litigated hundreds of workers’ compensation hearings and trial depositions on behalf of both employers and injured workers. During this time, Mr. Ring has written articles and presented Continuing Legal Education courses on developments in Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Law. He is active in local professional organizations, and, in 2022, he served a Co-chairperson of the Philadelphia Bar Associations Workers’ Compensation Section.
Since coming to EOL in 2024, he has dedicated his practice entirely to helping injured workers navigate the system and obtain their rightful benefits.
Joe is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania.
Brandon Zanan heads the personal injury claim department with Ethen Ostroff Law.
Brandon’s education in both law and medicine assist him in expertly representing badly injured victims. Brandon has a Master’s Degree in Forensic Medicine from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, with a concentration in anatomy and pathology. With this knowledge, Brandon is skilled at analyzing medical records and understanding injuries that are common in personal injury claims. He uses this expertise in conjunction with listening carefully to each client’s needs, in order to fiercely advocate for clients and tell their stories when they would not otherwise have a voice.
Brandon’s background includes a variety of experience and skills in various areas of civil practice. He is the author and editor of numerous books for the George T. Bisel Publishing Company, including “Pennsylvania Damages” and the “Pennsylvania Vehicle Code Annotated,” two texts that are frequently relied on by lawyers and judges across Pennsylvania as authoritative resources on personal injury law.
Brandon is a member of the Pennsylvania and Montgomery Bar Associations. He is also a member of Pennsylvania Association for Justice, and has served as an executive board member of the Montgomery American Inn of Court.
He is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Middle District of Pennsylvania, the State of New Jersey, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, and in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Brandon has represented many clients in motor vehicle, premises liability, animal bite, and products liability cases across Pennsylvania and New Jersey and has obtained outstanding results with millions of dollars recovered for his clients.
He has been named a Pennsylvania Rising Star from 2021 onward. The “Super Lawyers-Rising Star®”, list recognizes no more than 2.5 percent of attorneys in each state
Brandon currently lives in Malvern with his wife Rachel and their son Max.
Effective Date: July 10, 2024
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