Last August, what started as a beautiful midnight cruise in Boston concluded with anything but a happy ending. There were 412 passengers on the Spirit of Baltimore who had their evening come to an abrupt end when the ship crashed into the Fells Point pier.
Although no one was killed, many passengers are suing for damages including pain and suffering due to the incident, which could cost the Spirit of Baltimore in excess of $1,000,000 if they are found liable.
Passenger Maurice Franklin insists that the sheer force with which the ship hit was enough for him to suffer injuries to his back, neck, and knees when he was hurled against a glass wall.
Franklin is not the only passenger to sustain injuries and pursue a cruise ship serious injuries lawsuits; several of the other people on the ship have claimed similar injuries and are likewise trying to recover their damages. The Coast Guard, which is in charge of the investigation, found that the captain had fallen asleep at the helm of the 100-plus-foot ship and gotten off course. That led to the ship hitting a floating pier within the Henderson’s Wharf Marina.
Felicia Morris, another of the ship’s passengers, testified that she was in a sheer panic, afraid that the boat was going to sink. Since she didn’t know how to swim, she was terrified when there were no lifejackets to be found, nor was there any staff ready and able to help.
Of the 412 people on board, 28 have filed suit with dollar amounts being anywhere from $5000 to over $1,000,000 against Spirit Cruises. According to maritime law, any company who is being sued by passengers is allowed to set a deadline for them to file suit, and the company may also limit the amount of money the suit will pay out, which is valued at the overall value of the vessel.
The US District Judge Ellen L. Hollander, has set the limit at $1.8 million dollars, and the deadline for filing was last month. On August 28, 412 passengers boarded the Spirit of Baltimore for a night of dining and dancing. As a midnight cruise, it was supposed to last from 12 until 3 AM. The ship was en route back to the dock at approximately 2:30, when it went off course.
The captain manning the vessel was immediately fired within 24 hours of the incident. The reason for his dismissal, according to the Spirit of Boston, was that his actions were completely unacceptable and negligent. Up until this incident, the Spirit of Boston had had an excellent track record with over 30 years in operation and no major accidents.
Investigators found that the captain of the ship had been working for three days prior to manning the cruise on his own boat, and he was already exhausted when he got behind the wheel. As per instructions, there was supposed to be a mate alongside the captain, but at 2:00, he was called away to deal with a drunk and disorderly passenger. It was at that time that the captain dozed off.
It wasn’t just passengers who were injured in the incident; the ship caused over $100,000 in damages to nearby recreational boats as well. The captain was not sure if it was the impact itself or the noise that woke him; he maintains that he quickly assessed the situation to find that there was a huge hole in the boat. To date, the captain has not been identified, and the defense attorneys for the Spirit of Boston have no comment on the incident.
When you board a cruise ship, the risks are as real as with any other type of moving vehicle. It’s putting your life in the hands of someone else behind the wheel; a midnight cruise might sound like a good idea, but only if the person manning the ship has enough sleep to maintain control. Clearly, the captain of the Spirit of Boston should have never taken 412 passengers out for a cruise that night in August. Luckily no one died in the incident, but that doesn’t mean that they couldn’t have.
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