by Spencer Aronfeld | Dec 12, 2018 | Cruise Ship Accidents
A cruise attraction that was meant to be a fun and exciting experience for a newlywed couple turned into a nightmare when the husband lost his life during a zip line excursion on Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL). Following his death, the surviving spouse filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Miami Division on November 30, 2018. RCCL is now facing potential liability for both her injuries and damages related to the death of her husband. The couple, Shir Frenkel and Igal Tyszman were on a Royal Caribbean Cruise for their honeymoon. While on a stop at the cruise ship port in Roatan, Honduras, the couple booked a zip lining excursion while exploring the area. In the lawsuit, the wife claimed that they believed the zip line excursion tour was a Royal Caribbean attraction since they were informed about it by the cruise line. The couple even purchased their zip line tickets through the cruise line using their Seapass cards onboard the ship, and the tickets for the zip line excursion had the RCCL logo on it. The zip line excursion tour was said to be operated by partners or through a joint venture of RCCL, which led the couple to believe it was a RCCL excursion and would be up to the highest standards of RCCL. However, the company leading the tour, Extreme Caribe Zip Line Tour, was an independent contractor. This same company that was involved in a prior lawsuit where a woman severed both her legs on the same excursion back in 2015. As the couple took off on their...
by Spencer Aronfeld | Dec 11, 2018 | Car Accidents
‘Tis the season for holiday parties- whether in people’s homes, at local business establishments or in the office, the month of December is filled with celebration. At Aronfeld Trial Lawyers we want you to celebrate safely this holiday season and year around. Whether you plan on hosting or attending a holiday party, it is important to have a plan in place prior to the party- not only for yourself but for your guests. Assign a designated driver, have your party use a ridesharing service like Uber or Lyft to get home safely. Buzzed driving is drunk driving. Probably okay, isn’t okay. You are not only putting yourself in danger, but other passengers and motorists as well. Florida Statute §319.193 defines “Driving Under the Influence (DUI)” as anyone who is driving under the influence of alcohol, chemical, controlled substances or who has a blood or breath alcohol level of .08 or above. The penalties are provided for in §316.193(2) and range from $500 to imprisonment or residential alcohol or drug treatment facilities. Even first offense DUI accidents involving property damage, serious bodily injury or death can result in prison time. The holidays are notoriously unsafe times for traveling because of the increased numbers of impaired drivers on the roads. Intoxicated drivers remain the biggest cause of traffic fatalities both in Florida and the U.S. Nearly 11,000 people, approximately one-third of the nation’s 37,000-plus traffic fatalities, died in 2016 and 2017 due to drivers impaired by alcohol. By comparison, deaths caused by distracted drivers in 2016 totaled 3,450. Drunk driving accidents often involve the intoxicated driver crossing lanes and hitting another...
by Spencer Aronfeld | Dec 6, 2018 | Cruise Ship Accidents
Most cruise routes are planned with the conditions of the waters in mind ahead of time. However, as we all know the sea can be unpredictable. If the ship hits rough waters, it is common for the ship to tilt temporarily as the boat encounters unpredictable conditions. Other times a cruise ship tilting can be the result of an electrical malfunction, which was the case on the Carnival Sunshine. Shortly after the ship left Port Canaveral for a five-day Caribbean cruise an electrical switchboard malfunctioned that affected the ship’s fin stabilizers. A cruise ship tiling can be a frightening occurrence. It helps to understand what these are and how to prepare for them in the event this occurs while on your cruise. A cruise ship tilt occurs when the ship leans heavily to either the port or the starboard. Tilts can be minor, but they can also be quite significant and even terrifying, as seen in this video provided by Inside Edition. As waves hit the boat as it travels, the ship is naturally going to rock from side to side, but if the boat tips strongly to one side or the other, this tilt can be dangerous, leading to passenger injuries and property damage. One such serious tilt occurred in July 18, 2006, when the Crown Princess tilted severely off the Florida coast, injuring 93 people onboard- some were seriously injured. A tilt that causes the ship to tip more than 15 degrees to one side is considered severe or a “serious tilt,” even though a lower degree tilt can still lead to injury. In another case, a...
by Spencer Aronfeld | Dec 4, 2018 | Child Injuries
A new Canadian law now issues a much harsher penalty for drivers who illegally pass a school bus and put innocent children in danger. That momentary lapse in judgement and decision making to pass the bus willfully will now result in the driver losing his or her driver’s license, along with other penalties. This new law was passed in the Prince Edward Canadian province and will go into effect on December 8, 2018. Any driver who is caught illegally passing a school bus will have their license revoked for a period of three months and could face a fine of $5,000. If the driver wishes to get his or her license back, they must first pay a $100 reinstatement fee, take a defensive driving course within six months and meet with highway safety officials. After taking these steps, the driver will still be on probation for a one-year period. This new Canadian law has those of us in the U.S. asking if a similar law should be passed to protect our children riding school buses every day. With the recent deaths at school bus stops across the country, many have asked the question of what can be done to stop drivers from illegally passing stopped school buses? One of the most recent incidents occurred here in Florida. Seven individuals were rushed to the hospital after a vehicle struck students at a Tampa school bus stop. Witnesses who saw the scene unfold say that a Ford Escort was seen driving at a high rate of speed, hitting several pedestrians who were standing at the side of the road, waiting for...
by Spencer Aronfeld | Dec 3, 2018 | Cruise Ship Accidents
The Cayman government has struck a deal with Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean and is on its way towards finalizing the plans of its controversial cruise berthing project. Both Royal Caribbean and Carnival have made significant financial commitments and have agreed to finance the project. The Cayman tourism ministry announced that they are preparing to submit the final tender documents to the bidders on their shortlist. Only one of these bidders is not otherwise partnered with Royal Caribbean and Carnival. Cayman officials have also stated that these two cruise lines will be providing the financing in partnership with the preferred bidder chosen, and that this agreement is part of the invitation to submit final proposals that are expected from the three remaining bidders. The cruise berthing project has been in the works for some time, but this written proposal demonstrates that the project is officially moving forward. Up until this time, the cruise lines had simply verbally confirmed their commitment to help finance the project. However, officials are seeing this signed agreement as taking the project one step further. The next step is for those three bidders on the shortlist to submit their final bids by the end of the first quarter of 2019. The tourism ministry anticipates making the announcement of who has won the bid shortly after that point. After that announcement is made, the bidder will need to be approved by the Public Procurement Committee. The winning bidder will be obligated to conduct a geotechnical survey and submit a plan for coral relocation, as well as a proposed plan to deal with dredging. In addition, the...
