Electrician Dies Inside Carnival Cruise Ship Elevator Shaft

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on December 31, 2015

Families aboard the Carnival Ecstasy Sunday evening met a gruesome scene on their way to dinner. As they approached the restaurant, blood poured out of the elevator doors with a noise so loud it was described “as a rainstorm.” At the same time workers aboard the cruise ship tried to keep passengers away from the scene, herding them back into the restaurant. Another witness compared the occurrence to “a real life scene of ‘The Shining’” – a 1980’s horror film starring Jack Nicholson. The elevator was later sealed off to shield passengers and their children from the elevator and the area nearby.

A spokesperson for the Carnival cruise line confirmed that an electrician had been working in the elevator shaft at the time of the incident and was somehow crushed by the elevator. The accident remains under investigation at this time. Representatives for the cruise ship line extended their condolences to the family of the 66-year-old electrician that perished, and expressed deep sadness and regret at the loss of one of their own. Carnival has also offered counseling services to families who witnessed the accident.

This incident is just the latest in a seemingly unending stream of accidents that have occurred aboard Carnival cruise ships in recent years. Sunday’s incident was not the first for Carnival’s Ecstasy. In 1998, a fire in the laundry room. Eight passengers and 14 crew members were injured in that incident. In February 2013, an engine fire disabled the Carnival Triumph, leaving the ship and its passengers stranded at sea for 5 days without air conditioning or hot water. In January 2012, 32 people died when the Costa Concordia struck an underwater rock and capsized. The captain of the Italian ship was later charged with manslaughter.

When families book a cruise with Carnival or any other cruise line operator, they often choose based on price and assume that the ship’s operators take every precaution to ensure passenger safety and comfort. In reality, this is not always the case. Failure to properly maintain sailing vessels, neglecting to follow safety procedures or even taking blatant shortcuts are all too common in the cruise industry – often with dire consequences for travelers who may be least suspecting they are in danger. If you or someone you love was physically or emotionally injured by events that occurred on a vacation, please contact the Law Offices of James O. Cunningham, P.A. today at 877-FL-INJURY (877-354-6587).

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.