A passenger is suing the Royal Caribbean cruise line, claiming it was negligent in allowing the sailing of the ship "Anthem of the Sea" through rough weather, earlier this month, Photo by Royal Caribbean
MIAMI, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- A Royal Caribbean passenger is suing the cruise line after he sustained injuries when the Anthem of the Seas ship sailed through a violent storm earlier this month.
The passenger, Bruce Simpson says, in a suit filed last week in Miami, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. was negligent in deciding to sail the ship through the storm. He said he was knocked unconscious in his cabin by the severe rocking of the ship, and found inadequate medical facilities aboard the ship after he recovered.
Simpson's suit alleges he received cuts and bruises, and seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. Other passengers are preparing a class-action lawsuit against the cruise line.
Despite forecasts of worsening weather, the ship sailed from Bayonne, N.J., to the Bahamas, but cut the planned seven-day trip to four days. It had 6,000 passengers and 1,500 crew members aboard, and encountered winds of more than 75 mph and waves of 30 feet.
The cruise line has acknowledged the storm was worse than expected, saying four passengers sustained minor injuries. Passengers were given an apology "for what they went through," an offer to refund their fares and a voucher for 50 percent off the cost of fare on a future cruise.
Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., has asked the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate why the ship left the port with severe weather expected.
"The thing about this storm was that it was forecast for days. So why in the world would a cruise ship with thousands of passengers go sailing right into it? I want the [National Transportation Safety Board] to come up with answers very quickly," Nelson said.
Royal Caribbean has not commented on Simpson's lawsuit.
