Mass Transit (Airline, Cruise Ship, Train, Bus)

• Coast Guard suspends search for Alabama woman

  Gerry McGill | June 18, 2009 2:31 PM | 0 CommentsBiloxi & Gulfport, MS

  After searching more than 3,600 square miles over three days the Coast Guard has suspended its search for an Alabama woman who is believed to have gone overboard from a Carnival cruise ship late...

• Armed Cruise Ship Security Team Fights Off Somali Pirates

  Gerry McGill | April 30, 2009 2:06 PM | 0 CommentsBiloxi & Gulfport, MS

  An Italian cruise ship carrying armed Israeli security guards successfully fought off a hijacking attempt by Somali pirates last Saturday, April 25, 2009. The MSC Melody, a 670 foot Italian flagged...

• Maersk Alabama ship's cook sues shipowner and employer

  Gerry McGill | April 29, 2009 12:02 PM | 0 CommentsBiloxi & Gulfport, MS

  Richard Hicks, the ship's cook on the U.S. flagged cargo ship, Maersk Alabama, that was hijacked by Somalia pirates on April 8, 2009 has filed suit against the shipowner and the operator alleging...

• Cruise tickets limit where cruise lines can be sued.

  Gerry McGill | February 17, 2009 5:14 PM | 0 CommentsBiloxi & Gulfport, MS

  Last week I discussed how the cruise lines use the passenger ticket to limit the time an injured passenger has to file suit against a cruise line. In addition, provisions are inserted in tickets to...

• Injured cruise passengers have only one year to file a claim.

  Gerry McGill | February 12, 2009 2:08 PM | 0 CommentsBiloxi & Gulfport, MS

  Injured cruise line passengers have only one year from the date of an injury aboard a cruise ship to file a lawsuit or the claim will be forever barred. These cases are maritime law cases. Although...

• Illness Strikes During Carnival Cruise From Mobile

  Gerry McGill | January 30, 2008 1:07 PM | 0 CommentsBiloxi & Gulfport, MS

  The Mobile Press Register reported on Tuesday, January 29, 2008, that 121 passengers and 22 crew members aboard the Carnival cruise ship Holiday contracted a stomach virus while on a trip to Mexico from Mobile. Carnival Cruise Lines believes that the norovirus is to blame. The norovirus is a common and highly contagious sickness that causes vomiting, nausea and diarrhea. Vance Gulliksen, the...

• Bad Steering, Inadequate Training Caused Cruise Ship Passenger Injuries

  Gerry McGill | January 11, 2008 4:16 PM | 0 CommentsBiloxi & Gulfport, MS

  The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined Thursday that improper training and bad steering by the ship's Second Officer caused a Princess Cruises ship to tilt suddenly in 2006, injuring almost 300 people, some seriously.The NTSB said the Crown Princess's captain and crew failed to realize how fast they were going in shallow water leaving Port Canaveral, Florida. As a result,...

• Search Suspended For Passenger Missing From Cruise Ship

  Kay Whitson | June 20, 2007 12:37 PM | 0 CommentsBiloxi & Gulfport, MS

  The U. S. Coast Guard this morning suspended its search for a 24-year-old man who was missing from the cruise ship Freedom of the Seas which was en route from Miami to Puerto Rico. Relatives last saw Brent Smith, a 24-year-old man, around 1:45 am Monday on his stateroom balcony. They reported him missing about 7 hours later. Following a search of the cruise ship to determine that Mr. Smith...

• Three-year statute of limitations does not apply to cruise line injuries.

  Gerry McGill | June 06, 2007 4:03 PM | 0 CommentsBiloxi & Gulfport, MS

  Although one section of the United States Code provides for a uniform three-year statute of limitations for all maritime torts, cruise lines can shorten the period of time for passengers to file claims against them to one year merely by inserting a clause in the fine-print section of the Passenger Ticket. This shortened statute of limitations has been upheld by the Court and is very important...

• Jurisdiction in which to bring lawsuit dictated by cruiseline

  Gerry McGill | June 06, 2007 3:35 PM | 0 CommentsBiloxi & Gulfport, MS

  If you are injured on a cruise, the cruise line can specify where you can bring a claim against them. They do this by putting a small-print paragraph in the Passenger Ticket. For example, Carnival Cruise Lines only permits claims to be filed in Miami, Florida. This applies no matter where you boarded the vessel or where the accident occurred.