Passenger Missing on Freedom of the Seas

[advocado]

Sheesh! That's two gone in as many days. Freedom of the Seas just announced that a passenger (male, age 30) discovered missing this morning @ 8:30. Coast Guard searched but has aready suspended efforts. He's gone...

[MINIDRVR]

Is this for real?

[hammybee]

http://www1.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/MI52263/

 

The RCL board has a continuing thread on the topic of the two recent situations. Alcohol was related to the first situation, according to fellow passengers, with near-by cabins. Perhaps this is also true of this situation.

 

So very sad.

[bepsf]

I wonder when cruiselines will start charging "Search & Rescue" fees to those individuals (or their families/estates) who can't seem to stay aboard ship due to their own drunken stupidity - with all proceeds going directly to the other 2000 passengers who have been inconvenienced? At $500/per person compensation on a ship w/ 2000 passengers - that would be $1,000,000 per jump...

(Who said Darwin was wrong?)

[Stock Cop]

People just think that it will never happen to them.

Then again, a ship's balcony is perfect for somone considerind suicide.

Note how many of these incidents occur at night when there is such a small chance to find someone.

[Scrumpy]

I wonder when cruiselines will start charging "Search & Rescue" fees to those individuals (or their families/estates) who can't seem to stay aboard ship due to their own drunken stupidity - with all proceeds going directly to the other 2000 passengers who have been inconvenienced? At $500/per person compensation on a ship w/ 2000 passengers - that would be $1,000,000 per jump...

 

(Who said Darwin was wrong?)

 

Right. Punish their families. That's cold-blooded.

[Krazy Kruizers]

What a terrible thing to happen.

[MINIDRVR]

Sheesh! That's two gone in as many days. Freedom of the Seas just announced that a passenger (male, age 30) discovered missing this morning @ 8:30. Coast Guard searched but has aready suspended efforts. He's gone...

 

Wait a minute, what you're saying that this guy is different then the 24 year old that they just suspended a search for that went missing on Monday morning @ 8:30 am?

[Sundagger]

Sheesh! That's two gone in as many days. Freedom of the Seas just announced that a passenger (male, age 30) discovered missing this morning @ 8:30. Coast Guard searched but has aready suspended efforts. He's gone...

Where did you get this info? There is nothing on the RCI board about it.

[Lordblue]

I agree. Simply missing is like being lost in the woods -- without evidence as to why, it is not necessarily the fault of anyone.

[Gonzo70]

Where did you get this info? There is nothing on the RCI board about it.

 

I've been following this incident and have not heard of a second person overboard. The overboard incident happened two nights ago and ship just arrived at San Juan (it is off schedule because it spent a day looking for the person). 20 FBI agents boarded boat at San Juan to investigate, but from what has been said it appears as though person was intoxicated and fell or jumped.

[advocado]

Where did you get this info? There is nothing on the RCI board about it.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/06/21/international/i111326D78.DTL

 

Article appearing in San Francisco Chronicle today.

[Copper10-8]

Where did you get this info? There is nothing on the RCI board about it.

 

FBI launches investigation into missing cruise ship passenger

 

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- FBI officials say they are investigating the disappearance of a North Carolina man from a cruise ship sailing through the Bahamas.

Brent Smith, 24, was last seen around 1:45 a.m. Monday on his stateroom balcony aboard the Freedom of the Seas, owned by Royal Caribbean International. Relatives reported him missing around 8:30 a.m., according to a cruise ship statement.

The ship turned around at that point to search for Smith, who was traveling with his brother, Matthew Smith, and his brother's girlfriend, said FBI spokesman Harry Rodriguez. Coast Guard crews launched a search as well.

Officials said he was born in Fremont, N.C.

The U.S. Coast Guard suspended a search for Smith on Wednesday, saying he likely won't be found.

The ship docked Wednesday in Puerto Rico so that FBI experts could determine whether foul play was involved, Rodriguez said. He declined to say whether agents retrieved any evidence from Smith's cabin or other areas.

Cruise lines reported at least 24 missing people from 2000 to 2005, compared with the estimated 10 million passengers that travel every year.

The Freedom of the Seas, carrying more than 4,000 passengers, will return to Miami on Sunday morning.

More than 100 people gathered for a vigil Wednesday evening at the family's church, Wilson Praise and Worship in Wilson, N.C. Its pastor, Cliff Lewin, flew to Puerto Rico to be with the family earlier this week.

"Prayer goes where we cannot. It moves the hang of God," Lewin's wife, Lisa, said during the vigil.

She said Smith, a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, was devoted to his family and made a point of attending all of his little sister's dance recitals.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[Sundagger]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/06/21/international/i111326D78.DTL

 

Article appearing in San Francisco Chronicle today.

I know of the one and have been actively involved in the threads on the RCI board, but haven't heard of a second. You mentioned a 2nd overboard, age 30, but the article doesn't mention that.

[advocado]

I know of the one and have been actively involved in the threads on the RCI board, but haven't heard of a second. You mentioned a 2nd overboard, age 30, but the article doesn't mention that.

You're right. I think the "age 30" thing was my senior moment. He was 24. The other passenger who fell several decks to his death was 22. That ship was the Norwegian Majesty. Sooo... it does appear that two young men fell to their deaths from separate cruise ships within a day or two of one another.

[mamaofami]

The other incident happened in Bermuda, I believe.

[bepsf]

Right. Punish their families. That's cold-blooded.

 

Fine - then maybe just the ones that are found alive.

My point is that these drunken fools didn't 'fall off' the ship by staying inside the railing...

[kryos]

I wonder when cruiselines will start charging "Search & Rescue" fees to those individuals (or their families/estates) who can't seem to stay aboard ship due to their own drunken stupidity - with all proceeds going directly to the other 2000 passengers who have been inconvenienced? At $500/per person compensation on a ship w/ 2000 passengers - that would be $1,000,000 per jump...

(Who said Darwin was wrong?)

I definitely think anytime it is an alcohol or illegal drug-related incident, the families should "dammed" well be charged. I don't know where the money would go ... probably to the Coast Guard to offset their expenses (I would imagine it is not cheap to put up a chopper and deploy several boats to work the search), but the estate should definitely be charged.

 

We are all adults ... and as such should know when we've had enough. Getting drunk to the point of falling off the ship is inexcusable, in my humble opinion.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[hammybee]

I definitely think anytime it is an alcohol or illegal drug-related incident, the families should "dammed" well be charged. I don't know where the money would go ... probably to the Coast Guard to offset their expenses (I would imagine it is not cheap to put up a chopper and deploy several boats to work the search), but the estate should definitely be charged.

 

We are all adults ... and as such should know when we've had enough. Getting drunk to the point of falling off the ship is inexcusable, in my humble opinion.

 

Blue skies ...--rita

 

Most of these situations involve young adults who typically do not have a lot of assets. I do not see how a family becomes responsible for the poor choices made by the deceased party.

 

If however, one is fortunate enough to survive something like this, as has been the case a few times, in recent months, I would throw the book at them.

[bepsf]

Most of these situations involve young adults who typically do not have a lot of assets. I do not see how a family becomes responsible for the poor choices made by the deceased party.

 

IMO, Poverty does not abrogate Responsibility.

In modern Japanese culture, the family is the responsible party for the actions of all its members - even so far as to be required to provide food and pay for clothing family members who are incarcerated (if they wish for their family member to have anything more than cooked rice and water...)

...and in the US, families and kids in school take out college loans that hang over their heads for years.

I don't see how one's irresponsibility (in this case, a day-long Search & Rescue plus the inconvenience of other passengers) should be any less of a financial burden.

[Cruising-along]

Most of these situations involve young adults who typically do not have a lot of assets. I do not see how a family becomes responsible for the poor choices made by the deceased party.

 

If however, one is fortunate enough to survive something like this, as has been the case a few times, in recent months, I would throw the book at them.

 

I couldn't agree more, throw the book at them.

[Tinknock50]

I am not a lawyer....and never played one on TV....but I don't think it is possible that a family could be held liable for an adult relative's actions.

 

I don't see how they legally could be charged for any costs.

[hammybee]

I am not a lawyer....and never played one on TV....but I don't think it is possible that a family could be held liable for an adult relative's actions.

 

I don't see how they legally could be charged for any costs.

 

Not in this country, anyway.

[hammybee]

...and in the US, families and kids in school take out college loans that hang over their heads for years.

 

It is common for a student loan to be discharged when a student/former student dies and this extends to the family's obligation too. We digress :)

[pms4104]

I wonder when cruiselines will start charging "Search & Rescue" fees to those individuals (or their families/estates) who can't seem to stay aboard ship due to their own drunken stupidity - with all proceeds going directly to the other 2000 passengers who have been inconvenienced? At $500/per person compensation on a ship w/ 2000 passengers - that would be $1,000,000 per jump...

 

(Who said Darwin was wrong?)

Ummm ... I think there were 4000 pax and multiplied out that comes to $2,000,000.

 

With so many jumpers in the recent past, perhaps cruiselines could/should require that, in order to board their vessels, each and every pax must prove they have a $3 or $4 million umbrella liability policy. In the event of any unfortunate incident ... that should cover the S&R which, if done by the Coast Guard, generally is paid by each and every tax-paying person in this country. Oh yeah, the insurance would also go a long way to compensate other inconvenienced pax and also the cruiseline for their efforts.