Personal Injury Law

Cruise Passenger Dies in Ship-Sponsored Tour

By Lipcon, Margulies & Alsina, P.A.

A man who was a passenger onboard Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas has died following a tragic accident while on a ship-organised catamaran excursion in Cozumel.

According to a statement from Royal Caribbean, "On Friday, September 4, a guest travelling onboard Freedom of the Seas joined a catamaran shore excursion where he was involved in an accident and was fatally injured. The guest's family and friends have remained in Cozumel, where members of our specially trained Guest Care Team met them, and have remained with them to assist."

Reports in the Mexican press say the 50-year-old American man fell from the Island Shuttle -- which is a boat owned by ferry company Ultramar -- as it was docking at the pier in Cozumel. It is believed the man sustained serious injuries from the boat's engine and died of cardiac arrest due to these injuries.

Royal Caribbean has confirmed that the shore excursion has been suspended until further notice. Earlier this summer, 49 Royal Caribbean passengers were involved in a vehicular accident on St. Thomas during a ship-sponsored shore excursion, sales of which were also suspended.

In January, a P&O passenger died on a ship-sponsored SCUBA excursion in Tortola. A tragic bus accident left 12 Celebrity Millennium passengers dead, and two injured, back in 2006.

Full post as published by Cruise Ship Law on September 09, 2009 (boomark / email).