Charles R. Lipcon is the firm's founding attorney and has been handling injury, cruise line sexual assault and wrongful death claims for over 40 years.
Jason R. Margulies is an experienced maritime lawyer and an active trial attorney handling personal injury, cruise line sexual assault and wrongful death claims.
Ricardo V. Alsina is an active trial attorney, handling personal injury, cruise line sexual assault and wrongful death claims.
Mr. Winkleman is an active trial and appellate attorney handling all personal injury, cruise line sexual assault and wrongful death claims, as well as complex business disputes.
Rockland, Maine is in for a treat after the second-largest cruise ship to ever visit the city has announced its intention to make a call in Knox County harbor. The MS Eurodam, a Holland America Line vessel, is scheduled to visit Rockland in October 2014. The ship can carry a total of 2,104 passengers and a crew of 929. Coming in at 936 feet long, the MS Eurodam was only preceded by one other vessel that exceeded its size, Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas. The Jewel of the Seas made a port call in Rockland in October 2009, with nearly 2,500 passengers and a crew of 760. The vessel is 962 feet long.
However, while the news is exciting for both Rockland officials and eager cruise travelers, not all ports are built to accommodate such large vessels, and injuries may ensue. When a passenger or crewmember is hurt in a port, they may be able to seek compensation for their pain and suffering with the help of a cruise injury lawyer. Both the port’s operators and the cruise line may be found at fault for the injury, and may be held liable for medical costs and miscellaneous damages resulting from it.
While some ports make changes or improvements in order to accommodate larger ships calling on them than they are used to, Harbor Master Ed Glaser said on Monday that the city will not need to take any additional steps to handle the MS Eurodam. If any passengers or crewmembers are harmed while visiting Rockland because the port was not adequately equipped to handle the vessel or because workers were not sufficiently trained, then the port authorities will have some explaining to do and may be held responsible for the injuries caused.
Lorain Francis, executive director of Rockland Main Street Inc., prefers to concentrate on the upside to the visit, including the benefits for Rockland’s tourism industry. The city welcomes cruise travelers, in addition to any other visitors who call on Rockland. Francis explained that the city’s downtown merchants, entrepreneurs and other business-owners are excited about the MS Eurodam’s visit and explained that large cruise ship visits can prove especially profitable for Main Street merchants.
In addition to the MS Eurodam’s call, other smaller vessels are also scheduled to visit Rockland in the summer and fall. CruiseMaine, which promotes the cruise ship industry in the state, estimated that Rockland would have 4,512 days of cruise ship passenger visits. The figure is determined by the number of passengers multiplied by the number of days they are in port.
Maybe now Rockland will be able to compete with other, more popular U.S. ports, including Bar Harbor and Portland. However, the city’s number of cruise ship visits has nearly quadrupled, and Rockland officials are confident that the larger vessels will increase awareness of the port and traveler interest.
Photo Credit: MS Eurodam