5 cruise ship crew member deaths may be the result of broken winch

In Sunday’s tragic accident aboard the Thomson Majesty cruise ship, a broken or malfunctioning winch may be the cause of 5 crew member deaths.

In a report from the BBC, “five crew members have died after a lifeboat they were in fell from a cruise ship docked in the port of Santa Cruz de la Palma in the Canary Islands.

The accident happened on the Majesty, operated by UK-based Thomson Cruises, during a routine safety drill.

Those killed include three Indonesians, a Filipino and a Ghanaian. Three people were also hurt as the boat reportedly fell more than 20m into the sea.

The BBC’s Tom Burridge says reports suggest a winch got loose.”

Between the crew and passengers, various reports seem to show many people who saw the accident take place or who were on the scene quickly thereafter. The cruise line will likely face some sort of legal action, both from families of the crew who were victims of the accident and possibly from other parties.

Crew member deaths on cruise ships are fairly uncommon, but deaths and debilitating injuries do occur. These cruise ship workers are covered under maritime law, specifically the Jones Act.

For questions or information regarding this accident or other crew member accidents, please contact Waks and Barnett at 800-905-2891.