Toll-Free: 800-354-6275
Phone: 817-294-1900
The Italian cruise ship, Costa Concordia that wrecked off Italy’s Tuscan Cost is offering financial settlements of 11,000 euros ($14,400) in compensation to each passenger aboard the sunken ship, the cruise line said today. The huge ship hit a bank of rocks and rolled onto its side on January 13, resulting in at least 16 deaths of its passengers and workers. Sixteen people are still missing.
The compensation offered by the company will be paid to each passenger regardless of age and will cover damage to and loss of property and any psychological distress suffered, as well as reimbursement of the trip itself. Cost is offering to return whatever items are found onboard the ship to their rightful owners and is also offering psychological counseling to those who request it. Passengers are not forced to accept the settlement, but if they do it will completely strip them of their rights to file a lawsuit against the cruise company, according to a spokesman for the Italian Association of Tour Operators.
Although I know nothing about the Italian court system, I do know that I would not encourage any recent accident victim to accept an early settlement offer after an accident – especially this soon after the incident. The passengers on this vessel experienced a tragic ordeal that could potentially affect them their entire lives. Imagine being trapped on a sinking ship, with seemingly no way out – I don’t even want to think about it. Just like the victims of car wrecks here in Fort Worth, I think these passengers should wait it out and seek legal advice. Once they accept that money your case is closed. Considering what a huge fiasco the entire ordeal was, my legal advice would be to wait a little bit before accepting any offer.