Inside Edition - Woman Falls Off a Carnival Cruise ship

[wmowan8485]

Ok, you have followed my post around like a dog in heat a few times saying Really ?

 

I'm sorry, it's just that the posts come across as biased against carnival and that is what came to mind. I'll leave you alone now.. :)

 

You did make me lose my water with the avatar comment, that was too funny! :D

[ChelleBee]

here is the link for the video of her rescue

 

 

there is definately a blinking light and another steadier light out in the water.

 

on the other thread someone had posted that she intentionally jumped because she was fighting with her boyfriend and she wanted to teach him a lesson.

[amberdawn85]

People who say the rum runners drive up our cruise prices are wrong, people like this drive up the prices. Carnival will settle with her to save the attorney fee's and a possible loss. This women should be ashamed of her behavior and be apologizing to the passengers on the cruise that for disrupting their vacation.

 

My husband is 6'8, he's never accidentally slipped off any balcony in his life, it just doesn't make sense. The women needs some self respect.:rolleyes:

[TerReuv]

This is the problem with people sneaking straight vodka on in rum runners, etc. People get blasted in their rooms doing shots with no mixers. Bartenders are out of the equation.

 

If they order from Bon Voyage it is the same problem. So, sneaking the alcohol in is not the problem.

 

I remember in reading the original thread and the article with her and her friends account, her friends stated they ship kept sailing for 90 minutes before it turned around and then it got back to her in 30 minutes? That would be really fast to get back!

 

The whole story sounds silly and sounds like someone is trying to get Carnival to pay for their stupidity!

[crewsweeper]

If they order from Bon Voyage it is the same problem. So, sneaking the alcohol in is not the problem.

 

I remember in reading the original thread and the article with her and her friends account, her friends stated they ship kept sailing for 90 minutes before it turned around and then it got back to her in 30 minutes? That would be really fast to get back!

 

The whole story sounds silly and sounds like someone is trying to get Carnival to pay for their stupidity!

And I seem to recall that no one saw her go overboard. The friend didn't know at first and then tried to figure out the best way to report it for a good part of the time until the ship turned around.

[DirtyDawg]

I'd loved to be a member of the jury for this. Seriously. I just don't see where Carnival was responsible for this incident and her injuries when she kept sucking down Long Island Iced Tea after another and got so trashed that she fell/slipped/jumped overboard. I wouldn't imagine she'd remember everthing that happened anyway if she was drunk enough to fall overboard. She said she chose this company and ship because she wanted to have a good time and thought she'd be safe. Carnival can't protect an idiot from him/herself and it's not their job to babysit an adult who should be responsible for themselves.

 

:D:D:D

 

I'm not sure you would make it past the jury selection process.

 

You know, the one about......

 

 

"A JUROR MUST BE IMPARTIAL UNTIL (S)HE HEARS ALL THE EVIDENCE AND LAW APPLICABLE TO THE CASE"

 

:rolleyes:

[ShanteS]

:D:D:D

 

I'm not sure you would make it past the jury selection process.

 

You know, the one about......

 

 

"A JUROR MUST BE IMPARTIAL UNTIL (S)HE HEARS ALL THE EVIDENCE AND LAW APPLICABLE TO THE CASE"

 

:rolleyes:

 

LOL Yes unfortunately that is true. I guess none of us here would make it past jury selection.

[songbird1329]

:D:D:D

 

I'm not sure you would make it past the jury selection process.

 

You know, the one about......

 

 

"A JUROR MUST BE IMPARTIAL UNTIL (S)HE HEARS ALL THE EVIDENCE AND LAW APPLICABLE TO THE CASE"

 

:rolleyes:

 

bingo

[songbird1329]

I have to agree with this. It seems like people are focussing on the part of the lawsuit dealing with her getting drunk. I'm guessing that was just thrown in as an extra negligence claim. The medical care once she was rescued is where it could get interesting. Only time will tell but that's the only part that seems legit to me at this point.

 

 

As I said, I'm not getting out the check book yet, but I know what I'd be doing if she were my client, or if I were representing Carnival, and caling this a "frivolous suit" is NOT one of the things I'd be doing.

[nitro2448]

Bottom line is there are people who don't want to take responsibility for their own actions when they see $$$$ in front of them, and they think they can make a quick buck or two, million. It's her fault period, weather she fell or jumped. Nobody on here can blame the bartenders, who on here knows she wasn't cut off ? Who knows she didn't smuggle on alcohol ? Or her friend didn't buy her more ? Anyone who thinks carnival should protect us from ourselves, BS. If that's the case then do away with balconies all together, or install bars on the balconies. Nobody is allowed out of interior of the ship, you know, for protection from ourself. :rolleyes:

[rufflesmom]

Here's a new twist on this story. How many other passengers vacation was disrupted because she was stupid, got drunk and "fell" over a balcony? Maybe those people should sue HER for disrupting their vacation????? Or maybe Carnival should sue her for the cost of her rescue.

 

I really hope Carnival does not settle out of court. If they don't, the next person will think twice before trying to sue. When they pay out, that only encourages unscrupulous people to do the same.

[sailaway2010]

:D:D:D

 

I'm not sure you would make it past the jury selection process.

 

You know, the one about......

 

 

"A JUROR MUST BE IMPARTIAL UNTIL (S)HE HEARS ALL THE EVIDENCE AND LAW APPLICABLE TO THE CASE"

 

:rolleyes:

Don't kid yourself, have you ever been on jury duty and observed the process firsthand? There is no such thing as an impartial jury. Jurors usually form an opinion about a case as it is presented to them during the selection process. They usually choose not to voice their opinions but they do have one.

[PittsburghGirlee]

Here's a new twist on this story. How many other passengers vacation was disrupted because she was stupid, got drunk and "fell" over a balcony? Maybe those people should sue HER for disrupting their vacation????? Or maybe Carnival should sue her for the cost of her rescue.

 

I really hope Carnival does not settle out of court. If they don't, the next person will think twice before trying to sue. When they pay out, that only encourages unscrupulous people to do the same.

 

 

I could not agree more with this post:D:D.

I like the way you think....maybe this would set the tone for the future.

[aprilivy]

She said she leaned back over the railing - meaning leaning backwards? Still very hard to fall over - unless she's very tall she must have been leaning backwards with her feet off the floor of the balcony.

 

And I'm not defending her, but don't ships have cameras that are aimed at the balconies? If the friend was insisting she fell and it's true that she had to beg the captain numerous times to turn the ship back, wondering if there was no way to review video. The surveillance videos should show if someone went overboard, they would know her cabin # so it seems like it could be pretty quick to pick out the right camera & video to view. Other times someone goes over, there is a time stamp of when it happens. It is no one's fault but the passenger she went off the balcony, but at the point her friend reported then the cruise line had a duty to act. Turning the ship around for no reason is better than making someone tread water for 90 minutes.

 

 

OK - picture it - leaning back with her feet off the floor - sounds like balcony hanky panky....

[DirtyDawg]

Don't kid yourself, have you ever been on jury duty and observed the process firsthand? YES There is no such thing as an impartial jury. Agreed, not 100%, but close Jurors usually form an opinion about a case as it is presented to them during the selection process. Hmmm, my experience has been the facts are presented at trail, not the selection process , but you may do it differently in your country. They usually choose not to voice their opinions but they do have one. Again, most trails are not OJ or Carnival so very little facts are public for jurors to form opinion on - other than general stuff like Corporations bad, Consumers good type stuff. In my limited experience people do tend to park their uninformed bias' at the door and actually take their civic duty seriously.

Then again it may be different where you live.

[dave_k63]

There are many bars, many servers, potentially many people that can buy her a drink. She might have had Bon voyage.

 

She could even have smuggled it on board. Who knows. I do know it seems to me almost impossible to accidentally fall off a balcony.

[songbird1329]

Here's a new twist on this story. How many other passengers vacation was disrupted because she was stupid, got drunk and "fell" over a balcony? Maybe those people should sue HER for disrupting their vacation????? Or maybe Carnival should sue her for the cost of her rescue.

 

I really hope Carnival does not settle out of court. If they don't, the next person will think twice before trying to sue. When they pay out, that only encourages unscrupulous people to do the same.

 

Sorry, I really don't think the other passengers or Carnival have grounds to sue her. Carnival had a legal obligation to rescue her, regardless of how she got into the water.

 

And I really don't think Carnival wants to go to trial on this. Their protocols and procedures would come under public scrutiny. They've got enough of that with the Triumph litigation.

 

And you "personal responsibility" folks are NOT going to be on the jury.

 

And should this matter be tried to a defense verdict -- which is unlikely -- it's not going to prevent suits down the road, based on different accidents with different facts.

 

 

Most of these get settled out of court, with a confidentiality agreement.

[idlenote]

Several years ago in Cozumel we were out on the balcony watching the pier runners making their way back to the ship. On the ship moored across from us there was a very inebriated women hanging over the edge of the balcony waving and hollering. After a while she pulled the lounger over to the edge of the balcony, climbed up on it and leaned way out. When gravity finally took effect the lounger slipped back and she fell, but she was lucky and she fell to the side.

 

Not saying this could be the same kind of incident but I would not be surprised.

[Mailgirl]

I have always had a balcony, I am 5 feet tall and the railing comes up to my shoulders. She must be 10 feet tall in order to go over that balcony railing. I don't care how drunk you are what was she doing. Another case of someone blaming someone else for their mistakes.

[Seago2]

I have always had a balcony, I am 5 feet tall and the railing comes up to my shoulders. She must be 10 feet tall in order to go over that balcony railing. I don't care how drunk you are what was she doing. Another case of someone blaming someone else for their mistakes.

 

Obviously she jumped!

[DirtyDawg]

Obviously she jumped!

 

.... or was pushed......

 

.... or was hit with a candle stick in the library by Colonel Mustard.:rolleyes:

 

WHO KNOWS? WHO CARES?

 

Hey, I've got a novel idea. Why don't we get together a group of citizens to hear ALL the FACTS, and the actual LAW, and let them decide.

 

A lot more boring, I agree. But maybe just a little more JUST than internet lynching!:rolleyes:

[airmj2123]

Sorry, I really don't think the other passengers or Carnival have grounds to sue her. Carnival had a legal obligation to rescue her, regardless of how she got into the water.

 

And I really don't think Carnival wants to go to trial on this. Their protocols and procedures would come under public scrutiny. They've got enough of that with the Triumph litigation.

 

And you "personal responsibility" folks are NOT going to be on the jury.

 

And should this matter be tried to a defense verdict -- which is unlikely -- it's not going to prevent suits down the road, based on different accidents with different facts.

 

 

Most of these get settled out of court, with a confidentiality agreement.

 

Thanks, I was trying to paraphrase you last night. Your posts are always very informative.

 

From my perspective (I do numbers, not law), I would think CCL's biggest problem isn't what caused her to fall in but their actions afterwards (the not airlifting and the length of time in the water). I would think CCL wouldn't want to deal with this and having their policies under severe scrutiny. With that said, I think the lady's lawyer put it best "She is luck to be alive" (probably should be grateful and not sue the company that saved her life).

[CanWeGoYet?]

.... or was pushed......

 

.... or was hit with a candle stick in the library by Colonel Mustard.:rolleyes:

 

WHO KNOWS? WHO CARES?

 

Hey, I've got a novel idea. Why don't we get together a group of citizens to hear ALL the FACTS, and the actual LAW, and let them decide.

 

A lot more boring, I agree. But maybe just a little more JUST than internet lynching!:rolleyes:

 

Kill joy! Where's the fun in that?

[CanWeGoYet?]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1827462

 

 

I didn't read the whole thread, but the first post cites an article describing passengers on different parts of the ship who either saw or heard the woman go into the water.

 

This is quoted from the article:

 

"Rebecca, the plaintiff's friend, immediately noticed that the plaintiff had fallen overboard," the complaint states. "Moreover, people in different parts of the ship either saw and/or heard the plaintiff fall into the ocean.

 

"Both Rebecca and the other passengers who witnessed the fall, immediately notified several Carnival staff members that the plaintiff had fallen overboard. Rebecca and the plaintiff's fiancé repeatedly demanded the cruise ship staff to stop the ship. Their request, however, was summarily denied. Instead, the cruise ship staff explained that they were not going to stop the vessel, until they first searched the ship. The cruise ship staff also explained that they were 'following standard procedure.'

 

"Rebecca and the plaintiff's fiancé were then escorted to the Captain's quarters and/or offices. There, over the next 90 minutes (while the ship was still moving) they were questioned by the ship's security staff and the ship's officers regarding the incident. Rebecca and the plaintiff's fiancé repeated their story several times, and again demanded several times that the ship be stopped immediately. Once again, however, their request was denied, and the ship's officers insisted they were not going to stop the vessel until they first searched the ship.

 

"At approximately 1:45 a.m., while the ship was still moving (and the plaintiff had been in the water for over one hour and thirty minutes), the ship's officers notified all passengers via intercom that they were going to turn around the ship to find the plaintiff." (Parentheses in complaint.)

 

It doesn't sound like the delay was simply a matter of the time it takes to turn the ship around.

[Cuizer2]

I didn't read the whole thread, but the first post cites an article describing passengers on different parts of the ship who either saw or heard the woman go into the water.

 

This is quoted from the article:

 

"Rebecca, the plaintiff's friend, immediately noticed that the plaintiff had fallen overboard," the complaint states. "Moreover, people in different parts of the ship either saw and/or heard the plaintiff fall into the ocean.

 

"Both Rebecca and the other passengers who witnessed the fall, immediately notified several Carnival staff members that the plaintiff had fallen overboard. Rebecca and the plaintiff's fiancé repeatedly demanded the cruise ship staff to stop the ship. Their request, however, was summarily denied. Instead, the cruise ship staff explained that they were not going to stop the vessel, until they first searched the ship. The cruise ship staff also explained that they were 'following standard procedure.'

 

"Rebecca and the plaintiff's fiancé were then escorted to the Captain's quarters and/or offices. There, over the next 90 minutes (while the ship was still moving) they were questioned by the ship's security staff and the ship's officers regarding the incident. Rebecca and the plaintiff's fiancé repeated their story several times, and again demanded several times that the ship be stopped immediately. Once again, however, their request was denied, and the ship's officers insisted they were not going to stop the vessel until they first searched the ship.

 

"At approximately 1:45 a.m., while the ship was still moving (and the plaintiff had been in the water for over one hour and thirty minutes), the ship's officers notified all passengers via intercom that they were going to turn around the ship to find the plaintiff." (Parentheses in complaint.)

 

It doesn't sound like the delay was simply a matter of the time it takes to turn the ship around.

 

Oh thank God! Now we have all the facts. No need for any more speculation.