MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rivkind & Margulies, P.A. is seeking to hold Celebrity Cruises liable for the injuries suffered by its passengers in a February tour bus accident during a cruise-sponsored shore excursion in New Zealand. This week, the same company was involved in a deadly cruise ship excursion accident in Mexico.
Maritime attorney Brett Rivkind has filed suit on behalf of the passengers who were critically injured in the February New Zealand accident in which a tour bus carrying 32 Celebrity Solstice passengers veered into a lane of oncoming traffic, smashing into another car and plummeting 100 feet down a steep bank. Six victims, all from the US, were injured and taken to the hospital along with the drivers of both vehicles. Mr. Rivkind is alleging that Celebrity mistakenly represented the transportation company operating the excursion as being safe and of the highest quality. However, the company in question had a public history of safety issues including a previous accident that resulted in criminal prosecution due to faulty brakes and an incompetent mechanic.
“In order to be successful against the cruise ship company, it must be proven that there is some agency relationship between the cruise ship company and the shore excursion company, or that the cruise ship company failed to warn of dangers they knew of or should have known about,” said Rivkind.
Celebrity Cruises has argued that the shore excursion companies are independent contractors for which the cruise line has no responsibility. This is often unbeknownst to passengers who are led to believe that the shore excursion companies are either operated by, partnered with, or agents of the cruise line.
This week, in another bus-related accident involving passengers from the Celebrity Equinox and Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas, 12 died and 18 were injured while on a shore excursion in Mexico.
“You’re always shocked when you hear of a terrible tragedy like this, but it’s not uncommon,” Rivkind said.
About Rivkind and Margulies, P.A.
Rivkind & Margulies, P.A. handles cases arising from all types of accidents that occur on navigable waters in and around Florida, as well as elsewhere in the United States and in international waters. Based in Miami, their nationally renowned cruise ship accident attorneys have decades of combined experience.
Miami-based cruise ship lawyer Brett Rivkind has been handling Maritime claims, including those occurring during shore excursions, for more than 33 years. He has been an invited speaker before Congress addressing cruise ship safety and security and has appeared on Larry King Live, as well as other major television shows, multiple times discussing cruise ship safety issues.
