Fifteen people are now confirmed dead from the Costa Concordia cruise ship wreck, and 17 people remain missing. Given the amount of time that has passed since the January 13, 2012, accident, it is, unfortunately, likely that few of the missing passengers and crew will be found alive.
It’s a heartbreaking realization and incredibly frustrating to watch this horrible event unfold. What’s so infuriating is that the cruise ship wreck probably could have been prevented if the ship’s captain had been responsible. The captain has been charged with multiple counts of manslaughter, abandoning ship, unsafely steering the cruise ship too close to shore and causing a shipwreck.
An attorney with the Virginia-based Shapiro, Lewis & Appeton law firm is currently representing two passengers who were injured when the Costa Concordia wrecked. In our investigation of the accident and its aftermath, our stff lawyer learned from a report in the Telegraph that Carnival Cruise, in what appears to be an attempt to dissuade passengers from pursuing damages is offering a 30 percent discount on future cruises. To call that offer insulting would be an understatement.
In fact, that’s exactly what a 63-year-old passenger who survived by sliding from one side of the deck to another to find a lifeboat, said about the offer. “It is a ridiculous and insulting offer. I’m very disappointed in them,” the person told the newspaper.
The 30 percent offer on future cruises does not appear to be very effective. More than 100 passengers have already joined a class action lawsuit due to be filed in Miami, Florida (FL).
Our injury law firm plans to aggressively pursue the interests of our clients who suffered serious physical, emotional and psychological trauma from this cruise ship wreck. Our clients were actually interviewed by 20/20 and Entertainment Tonight about their experiences.
To get a sense of just how terrifying it was on board the Costa Concordia, take a look at this video of passengers trying to evacuate the cruise ship.