Loose Railings and Other Safety Issues of Concern on Cruise Ships

On Friday, August 4th, 2017, a three-year-old girl fell from her family’s stateroom balcony to the ship deck below. The railings installed on the Carnival Cruise Ship were insufficient to keep the toddler safe. She is listed in stable condition at a Florida hospital after she was airlifted by helicopter from the cruise ship.

Reports indicate the young girl suffered multiple fractures. Cruise ships market themselves as family-friendly vacations, but the most important part of being family-friendly is taking safety seriously. Railings, particularly on balconies, must be sufficient to prevent a small child from falling. In this case, the family is lucky that the girl fell to the deck below. Some cruise ship balconies overlook the water, and it is unlikely the child could have survived had she fallen into the ocean.

The cruise line, in its official statement, repeatedly assured people that the child was in stable condition. It is wonderful that the toddler’s injuries are not life-threatening, but the severity of injuries does not affect the fact that the ship itself was unsafe, and that the railings were insufficient.

Safety is of pre-eminent importance on these types of vessels because access to prompt, life-saving medical care can be limited on the open ocean. Though airvacs are still available, the speed with which an injured passenger can be reached is limited by weather conditions and distance from shore.

If you or someone you love has been injured on a cruise ship, you may have suffered unnecessarily waiting for proper medical attention. Determining whether or not your accident was the result of negligence by the cruise line is important. Your first step is to contact an experienced attorney who can evaluate your case and help you determine how to proceed in holding the cruise company accountable for their actions.