10 Year Old Girl Drowns in Pool Aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines’ “Norwegian Gem”
It was just four months ago that we wrote about a 4 year old boy that drowned in a pool aboard Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Sea cruise ship. Yesterday, another tragic accident on the Norwegian Gem cruise ship occurred when a 10 year old girl drowned in the pool at approximately 4 p.m. The Coast Guard reported that the ship’s staff performed CPR on the girl but were not successful in reviving her.
The Norwegian Gem sailed into Port Canaveral after the accident occurred. Neither the Coast Guard nor Norwegian Cruise lines released any details of how the drowning occurred. The Norwegian Gem was on a seven day cruise out of New York, on its way to Florida and the Bahamas. The Norwegian Gem was built in 2007, is 965 feet long and carries up to 2,397 passenger and over 1,100 crew members. There are 3 pools on board the ship – the main pool on Deck 12 called the Tahitian Pool, a small kid’s pool on Deck 12, and a private pool on the top deck called the Havens Pool. The Tahitian Pool is a busy area on the ship with lounging for dozens of passengers, water slides, and bars.
Very few details about the drowning have been released. However, the fact that many cruise ships do not have lifeguard stationed at their pools could have contributed to the drowning. A pool on board a cruise ship, with dozens of people in the area and many different activities going on including a water slide, without a lifeguard present, is a recipe for tragedy. This was the case when the 4 year old child drowned onboard the Oasis of the Seas. Royal Caribbean reported that it does not have lifeguards stationed at its pools.
As a cruise ship accident lawyer, we can clearly see that it is time for the cruise industry to be held accountable to the same standards for safety that public pools in Florida are held to. Florida law requires a public pool, and all waterparks, to have lifeguards on duty at all times the pool or waterpark is open. Anything less is inviting a tragic accident to occur.
It is likely that a wrongful death claim will result from the child’s drowning onboard the Norwegian Gem. Any lawsuit brought against Norwegian Cruise Lines is required to be brought in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami, Florida, U.S.A. Even though this young girl’s death occurred off the coast of Myrtle Beach, S.C., Norwegian’s ticket contract requires filing the drowning lawsuit in Miami, FL. Additionally, no cruise ship accident lawsuit can be filed unless the injured person or the child’s parents deliver to the Norwegian a “statement of particulars” setting forth a brief statement of what happened within 185 calendar days from the date of the incident, and file the cruise accident lawsuit within one (1) year from the day of the incident giving rise to the injury or death.
If you or a loved one have been injured on your cruise vacation, we are here for you. To speak to a cruise ship accident lawyer for a free consultation, contact us toll-free at
(855) 999-5297.