RMS Queen Mary will be one of those ships that made history back in the day with tons of fun activities for eager vacationers and a marvel to look at for young children. However, after long years of service, the RMS Queen Mary has now become a popular tourist attraction in Long Beach, California.
Although the RMS Queen Mary remains a tourist attraction rather than a cruise ship, it still has the features and functionalities of the cruise ship, and individuals who are not careful might become victims of an accident. If you got into an accident on the RMS Queen Mary and are looking for help, contact Ehline Law and our Queen Mary accident attorneys for an evaluation of your case.
About RMS Queen Mary
A retired ocean liner, RMS Queen Mary was in service from 1936 to 1967 and belonged to the Cunard-White Star Line to one-up the French, Germans, and Italians. The Queen Mary immediately won the Blue Riband, a record given to those that cross the Atlantic the quickest. However, it lost the award to SS Normandie but soon won it again the following year and kept the title until 1952.
RMS Queen Mary has not only been a passenger cruise ship but also provided its service in World War II by acting as a troop ship for the transport of soldiers and equipment. Soon after the war, Queen Mary was once again converted into a passenger line and started its transatlantic services, dominating the travel industry until the rise of aviation later on in the 1950s.
In the 1960s, the Queen Mary continued to carry passengers. However, it was operating at a huge loss due to its old age. Not long after, in 1967, the cruise ship made its final journey to the port of Long Beach in California, where it immediately retired from service and remains to this day a tourist spot for Americans and foreigners.
The ship got a final conversion and had restaurants, a hotel for tourists to stay in, swimming pools, and a museum. The ship was still under the management of the cruise line, and because of its poor management, it dwindled into a loss-making business. The City of Long Beach took it upon itself to improve the services offered at the ship and finally, in 2021, they took the initiative and started planning.
A Fall Accident Aboard the RMS Queen Mary
There have been many incidents on cruise ships, including the RMS Queen Mary, including a woman falling over the railings. What’s shocking about this incident is that the cruise ship was not even in service and retired well before it got converted into a tourist attraction. This shows that accidents can happen anywhere, whether on a cruise ship or away from it.
In 2015, a woman decided to sue the city of Long Beach after incurring serious injuries from a fall accident aboard the Queen Mary. The personal injury victim said that the ship was unsteady due to dangerous conditions forcing her to fall over the railings from a height of 100 feet before making a splash into the water resulting in injuries.
Her personal injury case had a strong argument that the management of the ship was aware of prior incidents and did not do anything to prevent it from happening in the future, resulting in another fall that could’ve been potentially deadly.
Renovation Plans for the Queen Mary
In 2017, the leaseholders of the Queen Mary unveiled their master plan for renovating the Queen Mary and the surrounding waters around it to increase tourist activities further and modernize the ship. The leaseholders of the Queen Mary also leased an abandoned Soviet submarine next to it to ensure enough to attract tourists. The plan included a theatre, swimming pool, malls and shops, and more.
With a Swimming Pool, Mall, Shops, and More, Things Can Go Wrong Quickly
With such plans in place, although we’re not sure when they will take off, there will be an increase in the number of accidents on the ship and the surrounding waters as the influx of tourists increases. More people means higher chances of an accident occurring, but why are so many accidents happening right now?
Forget Swimming Pools…Why Are There Too Many Accidents Aboard the Queen Mary?
For a ship that is not in service and used as a tourist attraction on the 45-acre waterfront of the City of Long Beach, the Queen Mary sees a lot of accidents. In 2011, a young woman decided to enjoy her vacation on the RMS Queen Mary without knowing that it would be the last time she would see her family. It was later found that the woman got into an argument with her boyfriend while intoxicated and threatened to jump overboard.
Unfortunately, her threats became real as she slipped over the fence and dropped from a 75 feet height straight into the waters. Calling for help, her boyfriend waited anxiously before jumping into the water to save the woman. However, it was too late. The woman had gotten severe injuries from the fall and died in the hospital, while her boyfriend also sustained several injuries but managed to survive.
This is just one of many accidents that have either led to injuries or, in unfortunate circumstances, death. But why is it so that a ship not in service sees accidents often?
The answer to this lies in how the ship offers its services to tourists. Although the City of Long Beach owns the ship, it has outsourced all the services aboard the ship to other companies. The lease to provide services on the ship changed hands multiple times over the years, and in 2021, a Singapore-based hospitality company, Eagle Hospitality, had the lease.
The ship had already accumulated a lot of debt over the years when the lease constantly changed hands. In January 2021 the company, Eagle Hospitality, filed for $500 million bankruptcy on its hotel portfolios, including the Queen Mary.
The accidents were due to a lack of repairs and maintenance aboard the ship due to insufficient funds and improper management. If repairs were done on time, there wouldn’t be any accidents. However, such delays in repair have piled up the maintenance costs.
How Much Will It Cost to Repair the RMS Queen Mary?
Now amid a legal dispute, the Queen Mary’s lease will see yet another change of hands, but the biggest concern remains, who will pay for the repairs and maintenance of the ship?
In 2015, a survey report put the repair and maintenance costs of the RMS Queen Mary at a staggering $289 million. Since the estimate was done in 2015, it’s expected that the cost would have gone up in the last seven years.
The City of Long Beach already paid $23 million for repairs a few years back. However, it was only enough to cover a few minor repairs, with all major tasks still pending. An audit is going on to find out how the $23 million got spent without anything to show. Since the city now owns the RMS Queen Mary, what are accident victims required to do to file a personal injury lawsuit, and who are they supposed to direct that lawsuit to?
Who Is Responsible for Any Injuries Aboard the RMS Queen Mary?
The negligent party is responsible for any damages caused when there is an auto accident. Is it the same for those aboard the RMS Queen Mary? In short, it is the responsibility of the City of Long Beach for any victims getting injured on the tourist ship, and this is because the City of Long Beach owns the ship. Since the Queen Mary’s history after being converted into a tourist attraction, the ship has witnessed many different types of accidents, from falls and slips to drowning.
The City of Long Beach took several initiatives to minimize the number of accidents aboard the ship. Unfortunately, all the efforts have gone in vain since there have been several accidents, one of which resulted in wrongful death.
RMS Queen Mary saw many legal matters throughout the last few decades, and in 2013, the ship faced a disability act lawsuit as it was not fit for wheelchair users. Besides the slips and falls, the ship got caught in a legal battle between a couple and the City of Long Beach as the couple sued the ship’s management for bed bug infestation in their hotel room aboard the RMS Queen Mary.
From all the lawsuits directed towards the City of Long Beach, we can conclude that it is the obligation of the owners of the ship (in this case, the City of Long Beach) to ensure safety at all levels, properly maintain walkways and railings and prevent any potential hazards or dangers on the Queen Mary.
If you or your loved one got hurt on the Queen Mary due to no fault of your own, contact our Queen Mary accident attorneys immediately as you may be eligible for compensation.
Ehline Law Firm – Personal Injury Lawyer for the People
Ehline Law is a personal injury firm that has made several strides in the legal space. With our personal injury attorneys contributing to the California Bar Journal and creating legal awareness on media channels, our law firm has grown exponentially in the last decade. We have retrieved over $150 million in compensation for our clients and can help you get the compensation you deserve on your personal injury case.
Besides a ghost that scares off guests at the Queen Mary (many people have told tales about Jackie, the drowning victim), insurance companies like to scare off victims by bullying them into taking a lowball offer or denying claims. Our personal injury lawyer will help establish the ship’s duty of care and the breach of duty of care to ensure that you have a solid case.
If you’ve gotten hurt on the Queen Mary, contact us at (833) LETS-SUE. Get a free consultation on your case today. We will help you collect evidence, gather medical records, determine the value of claims, and file a lawsuit in case of claims denial.
Schedule a Free Consultation With A Queen Mary Accident Lawyer in Long Beach Today
The most important thing after establishing negligence is to determine claims; we have done it thousands of times. Besides substantial experience in the cruise industry, our lawyers have had experience determining claims for car accident cases, truck accidents, drowning accidents, and more.
Our lawyers will negotiate with the insurers and get you the compensation you deserve. We understand that money is not going to get your life back. But it’ll pay for medical expenses and help start things over. Call us for more information on how we can help you!
Long Beach personal injury lawyers proudly serve the following Long Beach zip codes: 90711 / 90712 / 90731 / 90740 / 90755 / 90801 / 90802 / 90803 / 90804 / 90805 / 90806 / 90807 / 90808 / 90809 / 90810 / 90813 / 90814 / 90815 / 90822 / 90831 / 90832 / 90833 / 90834 / 90835 / 90840 / 90842 / 90844 / 90845 / 90846 / 90847 / 90848 / 90853 / 90888 / 90895 / 90899
