The Associated Press reports (carried by Fox News)…
Last week (June 18)…
A cruise ship taking European tourists to Ontario, Canada, crashed into a wall while entering a lock on the St. Lawrence Seaway in northern New York, injuring 19 passengers and three crew members, officials said Friday.
The U.S. Coast Guard said the 286-foot Saint Laurent was headed from Montreal to Toronto when it hit a wall in the Eisenhower Lock in Massena, near the Canadian border, shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday. There were 273 people on board, including 81 crew members and 192 passengers who are mainly French and Swiss nationals.
The ship’s operator, Miami-based FleetPro, said 19 passengers and three crew members were treated at Massena Memorial Hospital and released. The company said all the injuries were minor.
Read the official news release here from the U.S. Coast Guard.
Accident under investigation
Per the Coast Guard news release, the cause of the collision is under investigation. At the time of the accident, there were 274 people, including passengers and crew, aboard.
At Waks and Barnett, P.A. (as cruise ship injury lawyers who represent both passengers and crew members) we’ve found that when people are injured in a cruise ship accident, there quickly becomes a need and desire for information.
Injured parties want to know what rights they have. If they’ve incurred medical bills, who is responsible for the cost of treatment? Are they able to get their money back for the cost of an interrupted trip? What about the cost of additional hotel stays, re-directed flights or missed time at work due to the accident?
It’s questions like these that spark calls to lawyer’s offices. FleetPro, the ship’s operator issued this statement on their website on June 19.
Statement Issued by Fleet Pro Passenger Ship Management
Miami, Florida: June 19, 2015
FleetPro Passenger Ship Management, managers of the 4954 grt cruise vessel “Saint Laurent”, report that the ship made contact with a concrete approach wall bumper of the Westbound door of the Eisenhower Lock in Massena, part of the Saint Lawrence Seaway system, at 2115 hrs on June 18. The Bahamas Flag vessel, which was on passage from Montreal to Toronto, was carrying a total of 192 passengers and 81 crew members. The passengers are mainly of French and Swiss nationality.
As a result of the incident, 19 guests and 3 crew members suffered minor injuries and were transferred to Massena Memorial Hospital for treatment. The shipboard doctor was available at all times.
The vessel remains in safe condition in the lock which is partially drained of water. All shipboard services are fully functional for guests on-board. A ship inspection team has been appointed by owners and managers and will attend the vessel to assess the damage, which is limited to the bow area, before any attempt is made to move the “Saint Laurent” out of the lock and onto a berth.
At all times, the safety of passengers and crew is the absolute priority and owners and managers wish to thank the US Coast Guard and all the local agencies and emergency services who responded in such a timely and professional manner to this unfortunate incident. The Company will carry out a full investigation onto the events leading up to the collision and cooperate fully with any official investigation.