Travel Law News

Crew Member Arrested For Sexual Assault

August 26, 2008 (by Otto Smyth)

According to reports by cruise ship rape lawyers, a crew member aboard a cruise ship has been arrested near Juneau Alaska after allegedly sexually assaulting another crew member.

The crew member who was assaulted reported the sexual assault by another foreigner working on a cruise ship M/V Serenade of the Seas(Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines), when the ship arrived at port in Juneau at approximately 9:30 the crew member allegedly sexually assaulted a female crewmember in her cabin. The Turk, Serkan Tezsay, was taken into custody and transported to Lemon Creek Correctional Center.

The Lemon Creek Correctional Center is located in Juneau and is a multi function correctional institute, with the capacity to hold 164 male and female inmates.

If you have been the victim of a Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines employee cruise ship sexual assault such as cruise ship gang rape, anal rape, or oral rape, there are experienced California, Orange County and Los Angeles cruise ship attorneys who can be reached at 888-400-9721.

According to a report released by the U.S. State Department, each year nearly 50,000 victims fall prey to a drug commonly known as the Date Rape Drug. The proper name for this drug is Scopolamine. Many cruise ship rape attorneys suspect this date rape drug is commonly used in cruise ship rapes.

The Date Rape Drug that is typically used in many rapes causes the victim to be in a state of compliance or a zombie like state during the act of rape and then later the victim has no memory of it happening at all. It is an established fact that victims of rape avoid reporting the crime to the police in about 84% of actual rape cases. According to statistics, there are about 400 sexual assaults committed yearly on cruise ship lines. That is the reported cases.

With the introduction of the date rape drug, the non-reported rapes on cruise ships could be much higher than statistics have shown. It is suspected that crew gang rapes are happening to victims with the use of the date rape drug. The victim does not recall it ever happening because of this date rape drug.

Cruise ship date rape attorneys have identified the fact that victims are usually drugged through beverages and could later be raped in cabins or they are taken to other parts of the ships, like storage closets, or janitor rooms, and raped. This drug comes in many forms.

It can be sprinkled into food or sprinkled onto chewing gum, blown into the face of a person, dropped into the bodice of a woman’s dress or blouse or even put on the collar of a shirt. Just a few grains of the drug can bring about dramatic results. The only sign you may have been drugged afterward is a severe headache that last for a few days.

If you ever suspect that you have been the victim of this date rape drug and raped while onboard a cruise ship line do not hesitate reporting your suspicions to the ships doctor. Do so immediately. Insist a full report is made with all facts recorded for your own protection later on. Also insist that the ships doctor do a rape kit examination. If the ship doctor is not willing to test for this, have one done off the ship as soon as you reach a port of call. Do not shower or bath until this rape test is done.

They will be looking for DNA from others on your person. You may have to wait till you return home to have this test done.
If you have any bruises, cuts or scrapes, take pictures of them to show to the authorities if need be. As soon as possible, contact one of the experienced cruise ship rape attorneys in to bring suit against the cruise line for negligence. If you were raped on a cruise liner, call 888-400-9721.

Is cruise ship rape a genuine risk? Experienced Cruise Ship Rape Lawyers who sue cruise liners for negligence, know that the very real danger of rape onboard a cruise ship can turn a young woman’s, or little boy’s dream vacation into a nightmare. The atmosphere onboard a cruise ship which if rife with the party atmosphere of drinking and gambling coupled with the lack of law enforcement presence, can leave young women and children vulnerable to rape while onboard a cruise ship.

Every year many young high school graduates will celebrate their graduation accomplishment by going on a cruise. Parents worry about the safety of their daughters on these cruise ship vacations. Rape does happen on onboard these cruise ships, and past incidents went largely un reported. Who should be held liable? Should it be the cruise lines? Many argue that yes, they are liable because they did not provide protection for their passengers while onboard.

Seeking to keep good public relations going for their industry, cruise ship lines have a strong past propensity to deny there are problems of this nature onboard their ships. In truth, as their policy now stands, every trip can be a tragedy waiting to happen. Violent crimes of rape are rare but they do occur occasionally. Cruise ships are not required to have law enforcement personnel onboard and are under no compulsion to report any crimes while at sea. They do voluntarily report serious crimes such as rape and homicide to the FBI but are not required to by law.

Legislators are always working hard to pass bills that will require cruise ship lines to hire and place peace officers onboard ever cruise. If passed, these types of laws will greatly help personal injury lawyers in New Port Beach and other Orange county cities to hold the cruise ship line responsible for rape onboard a cruise ship. Any young woman, or child, who has suffered such an attack needs to turn to an experienced personal injury lawyer for help in her bid to hold the cruise ship industry liable for her injuries. New Port Beach, Los Angeles and Marina del Rey personal injury attorneys can help with their knowledge and experience in winning these cases.

Whether the bill passes or not, it would be in the cruise industries best interest to hire law enforcement personnel to protect it’s passengers. Many personal injury cases have been awarded against these cruise lines. There is legal recourse the victims can take with help from personal injury attorneys. Rape does not have to just be ignored because it happened out of police jurisdiction. If you or someone you know has been raped onboard a cruise ship, do not hesitate to call a personal injury lawyer.

If you have been the victim of a cruise ship rape you will need the expertise of a cruise ship rape attorney and in Orange County they can be reached at 888-400-9721.

Any cruise ship rape lawyer who assists victims injured while on a major cruise lines, such as Princess Cruises, or Carnival cruises, will tell you that more and more people these days are being able to vacation onboard cruise ships. The Princess Cruise liners are filling up to capacity as they set out for what is supposed to be a most enjoyable and relaxing vacation. Many families, newly weds, students and high school graduates and senior citizens are taking advantage of the opportunity to experience a cruise liner vacation.

With the increased number of people on cruise ship vacations also comes an increased possibility of ship accidents and crimes on board are being reported more and more also. Unfortunately the crime of rape is happening more and more on these cruise liners too.

If you have been the victim of rape on a cruise ship you should report it immediately. In fact it is imperative that you report any accident or crime immediately. You should also contact an expert cruise ship accident attorney for immediate assistance in filing a claim against the cruise liner also. cruise ship rape lawyers are experts in these types of cases and have experience with Princess Cruise liner accidents. Your cruise ship injury claim lawyer will have knowledge of maritime or admiralty laws about injuries or infectious disease that can be contacted while out at sea in international waters also. Different rules may apply for things that happen in international waters as compared to them happening in the United States Coastal waters or in the area of California territorial waters.

As of my latest research in 2007,Princess Cruise liner requires that any claim for injury be reported within one years time of the incident of rape or any other crime happening. Any professional and experienced cruise ship rape attorney will inform you that the crime of rape onboard a cruise ship should be reported immediately. You or your family members will find peace of mind knowing that your case will be handled with expertise once you have hired one of Los Angeles and Orange County’s personal injury lawyers. They will make sure that you be compensated for your injury, be it rape or any other type of crime or accident.

Princess cruise liner can be held liable for not protecting their passengers adequately if they do not have experienced and trained police or security onboard their cruise liner. They should have qualified police to protect their passengers onboard at all times. If they are found to be negligent in this regard, your cruise ship personal injury lawyer can argue for you that they should pay for their negligence.

July 14, 2008 (Otto Smyth)

According to reports by Cruise Line accident lawyers who sue Princess, at Ehline Law, a spokes person for Crown Princess, Julie Benson, has released information in the latest cruise passengers to go overboard on one of their ships.

This time it was the Princess Cruise’s Grand Princess that was approximately 150 miles off of the Galveston Coast when two passengers fell from a balcony. According to the statements by Benson the pair, a 22 year old man and a 20 year old woman fell from a balcony at approximately 1:30 a.m. Their friends alerted the captain of the ship who then turned the ship to go in search of the two passengers.

The captain of the Grand Princess and crew used high powered spot lights and rescue boats to search for the man and woman. Each were found and picked up by rescue boats, one at 5:300a.m. and the other at 6:00 p.m.

These passengers are the latest passengers that have fallen overboard on cruise ships, there have also been passengers such as Mike Mankamyer a passenger on the Carnival Glory, who was rescued by the Coast Guard after falling about 60 feet from the ship and later found approximately 30 miles from the Ft. Lauderdale coast.

Then there was the case of Daniel Dipiero who went overboard for his family to find out later that after being turned away at one bar aboard ship he was then served at another. Later he found his way to a deck chair where he slept until waking feeling sick and went to the rail to be ill. The next piece of the tape this was seen on shows the young man slipping over the rail. This incident occurred on a Royal Caribbean ship Mariner of the Seas.

The list goes on with passengers who have gone overboard on cruise ships with names like Mindy Jordan and Lynsey O’Brien.

July 13, 2008 (by Otto Smyth)

According to reports by cruise ship accident attorneys, the Spirit of Glacier Bay ran aground earlier in the week in Tarr Inlet while in route from Juneau to Ketchikan. The cruise ship was on its way to Ketchikan for scheduled repairs when it began to take on water.

The company, Cruise West has stated that the ship was taking on approximately 10 gallons of water per hour due to a crack in the hull that was caused by the cruise ship running aground. In comments from the Coast Guard Petty Officer Wes Shin stated that the crack was in the void hull and was kept under control.

The ship was carrying 12 crewmembers that took the ship in to port at Wrangell where the crack in the hull was found and repaired.

The ship was to be put into service this summer has had four of its cruises cancelled and since its repairs in Wrangell it has resumed course for Ketchikan.

High Gas Prices May Save Lives
By Michael Ehline

Believe it or not, the high price of gas these days may save lives. Marina Del Ray residents seem to have a preference for the large SUV. The soccer mom, the families of 5 or even just the upcoming new executive all love them for their size and roominess and yes, status symbol. Many SUV owners will tell you they just feel safer in an SUV. Ok, so how can high gas prices lave lives?

Even though the SUV’s have always enjoyed the loyalty of their owners, they are notoriously y known to get very low gas mileage in comparison to other vehicles. The soaring cost of the fill up in a large SUV has prompted many owners to sadly begin to trade them in on more fuel-efficient models. The drain on the pocket book has finally reached the point of no return.

So the soccer mom, the family of 5 and the upcoming new executive are trading them in record numbers. Not only that but also many SUV manufacturers have now quit the production of them. The upside of Marina del Ray’s loss of her love affair with the SUV is that the high gas prices just may save a few lives. Even though there is a great fondness for these vehicles, they have proven to be unsafe and prone to roll over. The feeling of safety because of size is only an illusion.

The SUV has a high rate of roll over incidence because of its short wheelbase and the vehicles height. Because it is so tall, the center of gravity is high. This combination has given them the reputation that they have the tendency to roll over. The roof walls are not all that strong either and tend to cave in when rolled over. Not only those, but also many of the SUV models have defective door latches that allows the doors to open upon impact.

These defects or design flaws have caused many persons to loose life and limb when involved in accidents while in an SUV. Many lawsuits have been brought against the manufacturers of these SUV’s because of the defects and design flaws.

Despite the tendency to roll over, the SUV still enjoyed wide spread popularity. So many people love the room size that despite common sense, still felt safe in them. The high cost of gas though is finally bringing an end to America’s love affair with the SUV. Fewer and fewer SUV’s are on the streets and this will save lives because the soccer mom, the family of 5 and the upcoming new executive really will be safer not riding in their beloved SUV.

If you or someone you know as been injured in an SUV rollover, don’t hesitate to contact a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer for help filing a claim for your SUV rollover accident. You could have suffered a broken back, broken ankle or other severe spinal cord injury. You will need excellent lawyers to help.

July 10, 2008 (by Otto Smyth)

Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys said that according to reports Steve O, whose real name is Stephen Glover made an appearance in court on Tuesday. The 34 year old Glover who became famous because of the dangerous stunts he is known for is required to give the court updates.

Glover was arrested and pleaded guilty to cocaine possession at a hearing in the beginning of June.

The Tuesday hearing his attorney gave a report to the court about Glover’s drug and alcohol addiction, this comes after his July 3 posting on his MySpace where he told fans he had checked back into a treatment facility. Tuesday he told the court during his appearance that he had checked back into a treatment facility on the suggestion of his psychiatrist.

He has also stated that he suffers from bipolar disorder and other mood disorders and also commented that he has done a lot of damage to his brain. After this report to the court he is due to reappear again in approximately two months to the court on his progress about his alcohol and drug addiction.

When questioned by reporters Glover’s attorney stated that he had been in a medical recovery hospital while Glover stated that he was in the loony bin jokingly. He did go on to say that he has this has helped him to decide what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. He also says that he can continue to host the MTV program Jackass including many of the stunts but that his main focus is staying away from alcohol and drugs.

If you have a chemical dependency and caused a personal injury, or need a Los Angeles DWI attorney, call 888-400-9721.

July 10, 2008 (by Otto Smyth)

According to reports by Motorcycle injury lawyers in Los Angeles, there was a motorcycle accident in the northbound lanes of Highway 57 that occurred approximately 1:00 p.m.

The accident occurred in the vicinity of Imperial Highway according to statements from California Highway Patrol Officer Denise Quesada. She went on to say that the rider refused to be transported to the hospital by the paramedics from the Brea Fire Department and had only received minor injuries in the accident.

There have been no details released about the accident other than a motorcycle and a Chevrolet Blazer were involved in the crash.

The accident slowed traffic on the 57 Freeway and afterwards it continued to be slow due to investigators on the scene.

If you have been involved in a motorcycle accident there are skilled statewide Orange County and Los Angeles motorcycle accident lawyers that can be reached at 888-400-9721.