Celebrity Cruises Accused of Leaving a Passenger’s Body to Decompose on Board

People take cruises to relax and have fun. Sometimes, however, passengers pass away. But you expect that the cruise ship would treat their bodies with dignity and respect.

Celebrity Cruises is facing a lawsuit from Marilyn Jones, the widow of Robert Jones. Mr. Jones had a fatal heart attack while traveling on the Celebrity Equinox ship. The ship was out to sea when he died.

The crew allegedly told Mrs. Jones they could either remove his body at their next stop (Puerto Rico) or keep him in their morgue until they returned to port in Fort Lauderdale. Mrs. Jones chose the morgue.

This makes perfect sense. She was grieving the unexpected loss of her husband. Of course she wouldn’t want to be stranded in an unfamiliar country with his body, worrying how to get him home for a proper funeral and burial. She didn’t want to have to deal with an autopsy, which would be necessary if they removed Mr. Jones in Puerto Rico. The whole situation is beyond traumatic.

But that’s not what the cruise line did. Mrs. Jones filed a lawsuit that says that her husband’s “body was stored for nearly a week inside a walk-in cooler normally used for beverages instead of a properly chilled morgue as she was promised.” This caused his body to bloat and discolor.

The Jones family cannot have the type of wake and funeral they wanted, as was their tradition. This was a family that always held open casket wakes so that friends and loved ones could say goodbye. But now they cannot have their traditional wake because of the gross negligence of Celebrity Cruises.

Mrs. Jones and her family are understandably traumatized. They are seeking a million dollars in a lawsuit. They have requested a jury trial.

Suing a cruise ship for damages requires experienced legal counsel

Hickey Law Firm has a national reputation for its work on behalf of cruise ship injury victims. In this case, the victims are the family – but also the late Mr. Jones. He deserved so much better than how they treated him. Celebrity Cruises did not give him any dignity in death. They traumatized his family, who will forever live with the sight of his body.

We know what it takes to file a case against a cruise line like Celebrity Cruises. We have successfully sued them and other cruise lines. We have won more than $100 million for our clients. We know the tricks the cruise lines use to deny accountability and to avoid having to pay compensation when they harm you.

We have the experience and leadership you want on your side. We handle the biggest, toughest cases there are. Hickey Law Firm represents the seriously injured in lawsuits against cruise lines stemming from:

• Sexual assault and rape
• Slips, trips, and falls
• Medical malpractice
• Excursion accidents
• Injuries from food allergies
• Negligent event planning
• Physical assaults
• Injuries caused by crewmembers
• Wrongful death

Hickey Law Firm has the expertise and resources to handle any size case. In fact, we specialize in larger cases like rape or sexual assault, medical malpractice, and slip and falls resulting in serious and permanent injuries.

But we are small enough to care. We get results by getting to know you and by intense, aggressive lawyering.

Remember that bigger is not always better. Law firms are not like Walmart selling the same thing as all other stores. Law firms which handle big injury cases are specialized and highly trained professionals. When the US Marines wanted to get Osama Bin Laden, it did not send an army or even a battalion. It sent Seal Team 6, a small unit of highly trained professionals.

Claims against cruise lines are special. They require a knowledge of maritime law, the business of the cruise lines and ships, and experience with Federal Court. We have this expertise.

Our lead trial lawyer, John H. (Jack) Hickey, represented cruise lines for the first 17 years of his career.

“Was a lawyer for the cruise lines. Now a lawyer for you”.

Jack is double Board Certified in (1) Admiralty and Maritime Law and (2) Civil Trials by The Florida Bar which less than 1% of attorneys in Florida hold. And he used to represent cruise lines for 17 years.

Time is not on your side. Don’t wait to get the help you need. Hickey Law Firm wants to help. Whether you were injured on a cruise or in some other accident or incident, we are here to fight for you. Call us in Miami or contact us to schedule a free consultation. It doesn’t matter where you live: we can represent you in your cruise ship case. We help clients throughout the country.

NOBODY FIGHTS HARDER. NOBODY FIGHTS SMARTER. NOBODY.®
HICKEY LAW FIRM – CALL US TODAY.