Royal Caribbean Ordered To Pay $3.38M Over Passenger's Death

Introduction

On March 7, a federal jury in Miami ordered Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. to pay $3.38 million to the estate of a passenger who died of cardiac arrest in 2016, while on board an Alaskan cruise.

According to court records, the victim was on the Explorer of the Seas, with his family members to celebrate his 70th birthday when the incident happened. The lawsuit filed by the victim's estate stated, he arrived at the ship's clinic at 10 a.m. on July 31, with a complaint of shortness of breath. The ship's doctor, conducted an EKG, diagnosed a septal infarction, age undetermined, gave him medicines and indicated that the patient had in the past suffered a heart attack. The victim was then asked to go back to his room by the doctor. His family argued that the doctor could have contacted the family members and kept him for further testing or taken him to the nearest hospital on shore. The victim collapsed in his room about a half hour later. After much delay, he was taken to a hospital in Juneau and later airlifted to an intensive care unit in Anchorage, where he breathed his last on August 4, 2016.

The family accused Royal Caribbean of failing to provide immediate and appropriate medical care at the clinic. The jury found the cruise 70% liable for the man’s death and ordered it to pay $3.384 million. The verdict included medical expenses and damages totaling to $4.834 million.

The plaintiff's lawyer argued that the ship's doctor was careless in treating the victim. The doctor should have ordered to offboard the victim and admit him to a hospital. Contrary to this the doctor prescribed metoprolol, a drug used to treat several heart-related conditions including high blood pressure and chest pain. He even stated that the cruise-line industry needs to make long-overdue and necessary changes, as many families suffer life-changing tragedies because of such incidents.

It is not the first time that such an incident happened. Earlier a couple claimed that they were left behind due to illness by the Royal Caribbean crew on the advice of their medical staff. In another incident, the medical staff of Holland America cruise failed to provide adequate medical attention for 17 hours to a passenger who suffered a stroke.

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