What many thought was going to be a relaxing, fun-filled vacation when they boarded the Carnival Triumph on Feb. 7 turned out to be a nightmare. Over 4,000 people were stuck at sea in the Gulf of Mexico following a cruise ship fire that disabled the Triumph and left the vessel without power, without sufficient food for passengers and crewmembers, and in appalling unsanitary condition where sewage overflowed across each deck.
Ironically named the Triumph, the ship’s parent company, Carnival Corp. has been under a lot of scrutiny for the accident, especially because the vessel had suffered equipment problems during the previous sailing. Our maritime firm has been at the forefront of the matter, fighting to protect the rights of those who were onboard the ill-fated “Cruise from Hell.”
Lipcon, Margulies , Alsina & Winkleman, P.A.’s own maritime lawyer and founding partner, Charles R. Lipcon, was featured on Lawyers.com, in an article titled Carnival Nightmare Cruise Triggers Class Action Lawsuit, discussing the Triumph accident and subsequent lawsuit our firm has filed on behalf of passengers.
“Number one, the vessel wasn’t seaworthy at the time the cruise departed. It never should have gone out,” said maritime lawyer Charles Lipcon, adding that aside from the squalid conditions passengers were forced to endure, their suffering was unnecessarily extended because Carnival chose to tow the Triumph to Mobile, Alabama, over 500 miles away from the accident scene, instead of the much closer port in Progreso, Mexico, which was only 150 miles away.
The Carnival Triumph cruise ship fire accident continues to showcase just how much vessels lack adequate safety protocols. Despite the rules and regulations that are currently in place, governing maritime vessels, including cruise lines, vessel operators continue to disregard them, placing countless lives at risk for serious and fatal accidents.
The Carnival Triumph class action lawsuit is open to all Carnival Triumph passengers who were on the Feb. 7 itinerary and seeks to obtain damages for the innumerable unsafe and unsanitary conditions endured by those onboard the vessel.
