Costa Concordia Captain Files Wrongful Termination Claim

Photo gives credit to Web Pro News.

After the captain of the Italian cruise ship that capsized last January was charged in connection with the multiple deaths after abandoning his sinking ship, he is now suing for wrongful termination.

Apparently, Francesco Schettino recently filed a wrongful termination claim after he was charged with manslaughter and abandoning ship as it was sinking at Tuscany last January 13.

The said lawsuit was actually an appeal following Schettino’s job dismissal. According to his lawyer, the former captain is simply practicing his legal rights as a worker.

Schettino was blamed for the 32 deaths of passengers and crew of the cruise ship loaded with 4,000 passengers and crew members.

Previous reports claimed that the former captain brought the cruise ship too close to shore, which caused it to hit a coral reef, lean on one side, and sink. Subsequently, he abandoned the ship while passengers were still trying to flee from the sinking boat.

At present, Costa Cruises, the company that owns the capsized ship, remains focused on the process of removing the wrecked ship, which was expected to be totally cleaned up by January next year. Meanwhile, the company is currently looking for solutions to improve the time frame of the wreckage removal.

So far, reports claim that the company is yet to comment on Schettino’s lawsuit. 

On a related note, a Los Angeles wrongful death lawyer explains that wrongful death claims stem from a number of contexts ranging from car accidents, construction accidents, slip-and-fall, and drowning accidents.

When such incidents occurred, the survivors or beneficiaries of the victims or the decedents are entitled to receive compensation from the person or party liable for the incident. Compensations include immediate expenses related to the death, loss of benefits, loss wages, pain, suffering, and other damages, he added.

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Civil Rights Violation Victim Rodney King’s Death Ruled Drowning Accident

Several weeks after his death, authorities have now ruled Rodney King’s death as drowning accident.

Rodney King was found motionless lying at the bottom of his swimming pool by his fiancé, Cynthia Kelley in his home in Rialto, near Los Angeles last June 17.

According to reports, Kelley immediately called for help upon seeing her 47-year old fiancé drowning at the pool since she could not swim.  She tried to reach King using a pitchfork and hoe until authorities arrived and pulled King out of the water. Rodney was subsequently transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Finally, the investigation is now completed and based on the autopsy and toxicology report, King was in a state of drug and alcohol-induced delirium at the time of the terminal event and either fell or jumped into the swimming pool that led to his death.

Rialto Police Captain Randy DeAnda further explained that the combination of ethanol or alcohol and multiple drug toxicity have triggered an irregular heartbeat and made King unable to save himself from drowning.

In her statement, Kelley was in bed sleeping when she was awakened by a grunting and growling sound and then he saw King at the patio door having frothy secretions coming form his mouth. Therefore, Kelley went on to get her cell phone but while she was making a call, she heard a splash and by the time she got into the pool, she saw King lying face down in the deep end.

He was 47.

He became well-known after he was pulled over by four Los Angeles police officers for speeding on a dark street on March 3, 1991. He was severely beaten by the apprehending cops while a bystander incidentally filmed the scene showing him being repeatedly hit with batons, kicked, and shot with stun guns. The video was then broadcasted by media outlets all over the world.

Consequently, the incident left King with brain injury. Unfortunately, the officers involved in the beating were acquitted a year after the incident. The said acquittals inflicted racial issues and eventually triggered the 1999 Los Angeles riots wherein 53 people were killed and more than 2,000 were injured.

The huge riot required the presence of soldiers from the United States Army National Guard together with the United States Marines from nearby Camp Pendleton, California since local authorities can no longer control the riots. The damages incurred by the said outrage amounted to $1 billion to the State of California, according to reports.

Although drowning accidents can’t be avoided, there are some instances like in King’s case that are unavoidable due to several circumstances. Nevertheless, a personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles felt somehow relieved that King’s case has been finally resolved.

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Los Angeles Coroner Ruled Drowning Accident Caused Whitney Houston’s Death

In a recent report released by the Los Angeles Coroner’s Office, it declared that Whitney Houston’s death was caused by a drowning accident.

According to the Los Angeles Coroner’s Office, although heart condition and cocaine use greatly contributed to Houston’s death, drowning accident played a major role in the singer’s untimely demise. According to initial investigation results released by the said office, Houston’s heart condition caused blockage in her arteries.

The Coroner’s Office, through their spokesperson, Craig Harvey, said that Houston’s death was described as an “accident” and no foul play or trauma has been found during the investigation.

According to the Coroner’s Office findings, other drugs like marijuana, anti-anxiety drug, muscle reluctant, and anti-allergy were found in Houston’s body. However, Harvey confirmed that said drugs were not a factor to the singer’s death.

Houston’s sister-in-law and manager, Patricia Houston, said in a news report that though they were glad since the case has been cleared, their family is saddened upon learning about the toxicology results.

Houston died at the age 48 in her hotel room on February 11, 2012, just a day before the annual pre-Grammy party. She was found submerged in the hotel bathtub filled with water.

LA Coroner County officials said that they will be releasing Houston’s full autopsy report in about a couple of weeks.

In some instances of drowning accidents, it’s either the victims themselves or their family whom may file for a claim through the help of Los Angeles lawyers. In Houston’s case, no other parties were involved or have caused the accident but the singer herself. Therefore, the case could be considered isolated or permanently closed since the drowning accident was not caused by other people’s negligence; and, most importantly, that the real reason for her untimely death has been uncovered.

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Drowning Accident on a Holiday Leaves 11 People Dead

An enjoyable holiday at a lake in Harare, Zimbabwe turned into a regretful experience when a drowning accident occurred and killed 11 people.

The news was first brought by a Zimbabwean state radio station giving details about the drowning accident that happened on Christmas day.

According to CBS News, the radio station reported that the pleasure boat was said to be seen overturned at Lake Chivero. Allegedly, the boat has a total of 19 passengers on board and the drowning incident happened exactly at Lake Chivero, 30 kilometers west of Harare. The 11 people killed from the incident were mostly children ages five to 14. The radio station has identified seven of them by names.
Furthermore, the radio station also reported that a wildlife ranger at the lake died a day before such accident happened. This after the canoe of the said wild life ranger overturned in a coarse water.

The Lake Chivero is an official conservation of natural resources, a recreation resort and a water supply reservoir. Its owner and personnel are expected to provide safety measures within the recreation facilities.

Drowning accidents can be avoided through practicing strict and proper precautions while on the water. In this case, probably the owner or the resort personnel failed to do a close supervision on the water activities that are happening in the area. Water parks personnel and owners are held responsible for providing safety of their patrons and customers.

Improper or inadequately supervised pools, water parks and other recreational facilities and negligence on the part of lifeguards are just some of the most common causes of drowning accidents. With this, owners and personnel of these recreational sites are encouraged to implement strict and proper safety guidelines in these places.

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Panicky Diver Drowns

Water recreational activities like diving is fun but it can also be deadly considering the risks involved when the person’s body is underwater.

Equipments like tank and weight belt are used to protect divers. However, improper use of these equipment could result in injuries or death.

A situation wherein diving equipment contributed to a man’s death may be seen in the case of Daniel Forchione, a University of Arizona Police Department officer who drowned because he panicked on the water’s surface.

The diver was on vacation with his family along Sunset Cliffs in San Diego. when the drowning accident occurred.

Rich Silanpa, president of Dive Connections in Mission Bay told investigators that Forchione and his two diving companions were on their way back to their chartered boat after doing their second dive when he became separated from them,

According to Silanpa,Forchione removed his tank while he was still wearing his weight belt. The diver may have panicked because of it.

People should always remember that panicking will only make the situation worse. Being calm and thinking rationally may save people when they are in a dangerous situation.

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