(Newswire.net — March 26, 2020) —
As the world continues to scramble to stop the pandemic from spreading to other areas, people continue to pass away from this deadly disease. Recently, it was announced that two individuals who had been vacationing on the Grand Princess, owned by Princess Cruises, have died. This information was confirmed by the Department of Health and Human Services. The regulatory agency announced that both of these individuals died due to complications from the coronavirus. As the two individuals started to show symptoms, one individual was taken to the hospital onboard the ship. The other was taken to Travis Air Force Base. Sadly, both individuals, who were in their early 60s, passed away shortly after their diagnosis.
This news has sparked concerns for the 3,500 other individuals onboard the cruise ship who were potentially exposed to the virus. COVID-19 is a highly contagious respiratory disease that has sickened hundreds of thousands of people all over the world, killing thousands of them. This disease is only going to get worse and this cruise ship is far from the first cruise line to deal with an outbreak of the virus onboard their ship. On this same ship, a 71-year-old man died from the virus a short time ago. Yet, this cruise line continues to operate.
Cruise ships are breeding grounds for dangerous diseases. The rooms are smaller than many college dorm rooms and individuals operate in close proximity to one another, making it nearly impossible to practice the social distancing guidelines that have been issued by the CDC and WHO. As people continue to get sick and die aboard these cruise lines, many people are starting to wonder whether or not they can file a wrongful death lawsuit against a cruise agency.
A wrongful death lawsuit has to prove a few points in order to be successful. First, the lawsuit has to prove that a death has actually taken place. This can be done by producing a death certificate or other hard evidence that someone has been declared dead. Then, the lawsuit has to show that the death could have been avoided by taking some alternative action (or inaction). For example, the lawsuit may seek to prove that with proper sanitary practices, this individual could have been prevented from contracting the virus. Finally, the lawsuit has to prove that another person or entity, such as a cruise line, should have done more to protect the individuals on board the ship. As the situation continues to worsen across the country, some lawsuits have already been filed. It will be interesting to see if any personal injury or wrongful death lawsuits get filed against the cruise lines.