One of the many precautionary measures that should be taken by everyone in the world today is avoiding travel. It’s to curb the coronavirus from sneaking past immigration, boarding planes, and touching down on everyone’s immune system.
The aviation industry is not the only one affected by the COVID-19 global pandemic; it has affected the legal system too. All over America, trials, grand jury proceedings, and hearings have been put on hold.
In case the message isn’t clear, here it is once more: Absolutely NO ONE should be traveling.
Given the situation, we are not going to dispense non-legal advice on Washington state personal injury and family laws. Instead, we’ll do our part to spread the good word: stay in. It’s a good way to avoid duplicating these ill-fated trips.
A damaged cruise ship leaves cruise passengers damaged
People on a cruise typically don’t rejoice upon approaching the end of their vacation. But in 2013, 4,000 passengers of the infamous Carnival Triumph experienced not a triumphant voyage but a travesty. So they cheered when the ship finally docked.
The Carnival Triumph did not deliver on her promise to provide a soothing, enjoyable cruise, so the company that operated it, Carnival Cruise Lines, was clearly going to be sued. All that needed to be done was outline all its offenses.
Cassie Terry, one of many distraught passengers, filed suit in a Miami court. Her lawsuit used terms like “floating hell” and “floating Petri dish” to describe the experience.
Chief among her complaints were horrendous odors, hour-long waits in lunch lines, spoiled food, and the ship tilting back several times, causing everything on the ship to spill.
Ms. Terry sued the liner for breach of maritime contract, negligent misrepresentation, and fraud resulting from the "unseaworthy, unsafe, unsanitary, and generally despicable conditions" on the ship.
Pregnant camel has had enough
Few tour activities are more unique than a camel ride across the Moroccan desert. Making it even more unique would be riding on a pregnant camel, which is exactly what Breanne Ayala experienced but didn’t ask for on her Moroccan desert safari in January 2020.
Ms. Ayala sued TripAdvisor’s San Francisco-based subsidiary Viator because she was assigned to ride a camel that was not only pregnant but was one month away from labor. No longer pleased to be carrying tourists on its back, the camel deviated from the itinerary on the final leg of the desert tour and tossed poor Ms. Ayala to the ground.
Ms. Ayala blamed Viator, which operated the website that offered the tour. However, the company stated that since they didn’t operate the tours, they should not be liable “with respect to the acts, omissions, errors, representations, warranties, breaches, or negligence of any supplier or for any personal injuries, death, property damage, or other damages or expenses resulting from your interactions with any supplier.”
Aside from spreading the word of her backbreaking safari experience, it’s safe to assume that she had already given Viator.com a one-star review for her misfortune in Marrakech.
The pains of landing at the wrong airport
In 2014, Southwest Airlines Flight 4013 landed at M. Graham Clark Airport, miles away from the intended destination, Branson Airport. This unplanned detour would not have been so dreadful if M. Graham Clark was as wide as Branson.
Because the plane mistakenly landed at the 3,700-feet wide runway of M. Graham rather than the 7,100-feet wide one in Branson, passengers were not only greatly inconvenienced. They were also injured, and their luggage damaged. The National Transportation Safety Board suspended the co-pilots.
Troy Haines, one of the flight’s passengers, wasn’t going to settle for just a refund, which was offered to all passengers. He sued the airline, citing mental anguish, fear, and anxiety over the fear of a potential crash. He sought $74,999.99 in damages.
After the incident, Mr. Haines had since needed to find a lower-paying job that did not require work-related travel.
As personal injury law attorneys in one of COVID-19’s hardest-hit states, we couldn’t think of more sound advice than DON’T GO OUT and avoid all sorts of travel except if it’s for health reasons.
Need professional legal advice for your injury in Washington? Call attorneys Buckingham, LaGrandeur, & Williams. Let’s talk — 425-228-6662.