Can You Sue Celebrity Cruise if You Were Stuck at Sea Due to Covid?
Coronavirus has devastated the cruise ship industry. Many cruises have been cancelled, but viral outbreaks aboard many ships have caused quarantines to be issued, and many cruise ship workers are still stranded on their ships, unable to go home. While some of these issues have been caused by international law and safety concerns, some of the dangerous and inhumane conditions aboard the ships could be attributed to the cruise companies that operate these vessels.
If you work on a Celebrity Cruise ship were you have faced unsafe or unsanitary conditions in quarantine and you were kept in quarantine for an excessive period of time, you might be able to file a lawsuit. Our attorneys for Celebrity Cruise employees stuck at sea due to coronavirus represent injured and ill workers, and we represent the families of deceased workers who were killed by coronavirus or unsafe conditions while stuck at sea. For a free legal consultation on your potential case, call our trusted maritime injury attorneys today at Rivkind Margulies & Rivkind, P.A. today at (866) 386-1762.
Suing Celebrity Cruises for Passengers Stuck at Sea During COVID-19 Quarantine
Many workers have been taken out of work because of coronavirus risks. However, unlike most workers in the U.S. who can stay at home instead of going to work, many cruise ship workers have been stuck saying on the ship where they were when cruises were cancelled. Some reports have said that upwards of 90,000 cruise ship workers worldwide have faced difficulty getting home and remain trapped on cruise ships because of the coronavirus at the time of this article.
Unfortunately for many of these workers, quarantine protocols dictate that they stay in their cabins most of the time – sometimes up to 21 hours per day. These conditions are like solitary confinement for a prolonged period, which is potentially inhumane. Cruise workers on Celebrity cruises might also face unsanitary conditions in their cabins or unsafe conditions in the areas where they are permitted to spend their time.
If the cruise ship failed to respond appropriately to the coronavirus pandemic, they could be held liable for the current conditions. This means that cruise operators like Celebrity could be responsible for outbreaks on their ships caused by negligent passenger screening, negligent decisions to go ahead with cruises they should have cancelled, and negligent handling of quarantine that allowed the virus to spread. They could also be held responsible for unsafe and inhumane conditions aboard the ship.
Many cruise workers on ships during the quarantine have reported severe emotional distress and mental anguish at their situation. Many have even admitted feeling suicidal. If the conditions on the ship were not safe enough to reasonably help prevent suicide attempts by restricting access to high decks and installing proper safety railings and nets, loved ones of deceased crewmembers might also be entitled to sue for their loss.
Proving a Lawsuit Against Celebrity Cruises for Workers Trapped on Board During the Coronavirus
There is no general presumption that the cruise ship will be at fault when someone is hurt or when someone faces dangerous conditions on board. Instead, it is up to the victim or their family to prove that the cruise ship’s crew and operators were at fault for the injuries. Evidence of mistakes in how the cruise handled coronavirus outbreaks and created the need for quarantine in the first place will be a great starting place to prove that the cruise line was at fault. Moreover, you can also supply evidence of what decisions the cruise line made after that to allow dirty, unsafe, or inhumane conditions on the ship to persist. Our attorneys will work to show that the cruise line was indeed at fault for the injuries, illness, or death in the case based on this kind of evidence.
Damages for Cruise Ship Workers Kept at Sea on Celebrity Cruises During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Cruise ship workers who were injured aboard a cruise ship might be entitled to damages for the harms they faced. Calculating these damages is often difficult, but an experienced injury attorney can investigate your case and help you determine what expenses and harms can be claimed as damages.
The physical and mental effects of the harm you faced will often lead to damages by themselves. Even without serious medical bills or other effects, the fact that you faced injuries or harm can be compensated, even if it is difficult for others to see or feel the pain and emotional distress of the event. Still, statements you made to others at the time, journal entries, and your own testimony about how the events affected you can help prove to the court how severe these harms were.
Damages for medical bills might also be claimed. If you needed medical attention and were treated at a hospital on a ventilator for COVID-19 or if you received treatment for other infections, injuries, or conditions acquired on the cruise ship, you could be entitled to have the costs of that treatment paid by the at-fault cruise line.
The compensation available for families of a deceased loved one are often higher. If your loved one died because of negligence on a Celebrity Cruise ship during this pandemic, you could be entitled to claim damages for their physical and mental pain and suffering and end-of-life medical expenses. In addition, future lost wages, lost companionship, lost household services, lost spousal services, and other damages can be claimed by spouses, children, and parents of the deceased. Our Miami crewmember accident attorney can help you determine what damages are available and how much to claim for your total compensation in a wrongful death lawsuit.
Call Our Celebrity Cruises Worker Injury and Illness Lawyers for Coronavirus Quarantine Cases
If you or a loved one was aboard a Celebrity Cruise as a worker, crewmember, or employee, our attorneys might be able to help you seek justice for injuries, illness, and other harms suffered during extended quarantines from the coronavirus. For a free legal consultation on your potential case, call Rivkind Margulies & Rivkind’s attorneys for celebrity cruise employees stuck at sea due to coronavirus today at (866) 386-1762.
