People Sickened On Ft. Lauderdale Cruise Ships
A cruise ended badly for two people on a Regal Princess Cruise. The ship had left Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on Saturday, February 7th and stopped on the Bahamas at Princess Cays, a private port of call for the cruise lines. The ship then disembarked and was headed toward Cozumel, Mexico.
While in route, an unknown medical emergency developed and the ship was diverted to the Port of Miami. Once in Miami, two male passengers disembarked the ship for an unknown reason. They were treated by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue paramedics and transported to a Miami hospital. A spokeswoman would not confirm the reason why the passengers left the ship, but did confirm that both men were of U.S. nationality.
The ship was allowed to continue on its voyage.
There is always the potential that the passengers contracted a stomach bug, which can happen on cruise ships. On February 2nd, a cruise ship that had left Baltimore, Maryland returned several days early. During the trip, 193 passengers and several crewmembers became sick from a stomach virus.
The Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Sea left Baltimore, Maryland on January 27 for a 9-day cruise to Jamaica with 1,948 passengers and 786 crewmembers. Royal Caribbean became aware of a problem on the ship when it reached Jamaica. Officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease boarded the ship and conducted an investigation. The CDC discovered that the ship had been infected with Norovirus, a bug that causes extreme gastrointestinal problems in people. The symptoms include nausea and stomach pain as well as headaches and fever.
Royal Caribbean decided to cut the trip short, and the ship quickly returned to Baltimore. This is not the first time the Grandeur of the Sea has created a large medical emergency. In April, a similar incident occurred on the ship and several hundred people were infected. Yet another incident occurred in December.
Royal Caribbean says the Grandeur of the Sea is being disinfected and should begin taking passengers in a few weeks. According to various media reports, many passengers complained that Royal Caribbean was not providing them with any information about the incident. Some called the trip “a cruise from hell.”
Have you, or a loved one been injured in a Florida cruise ship accident? If so, call us today at the Law Offices of James O. Cunningham, P.A. – 877-FL-INJURY (877-354-6587) – for a free initial consultation.
James O. Cunningham
Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.