Viking Sky cruise ship lawsuit seeks $10M
Typical class-action lawsuits against travel companies end with free tickets for the plaintiffs and money for the lawyers.
But Attorney Michael Winkleman says that's not enough compensation for nearly one thousand people who were stranded and injured on the Viking Sky cruise ship in March.
“We've asked for $10 million at this point, but that would be global for everyone who was on that ship,” Winkleman told FOX Business' Stuart Varney on Wednesday.
Dramatic video recorded by passengers shows furniture sliding around the ship's deck after its engine failed and lost power off the coast of Norway during a storm. Agents from the Rescue Coordination Centre of Southern Norway had to one-by-one airlift passengers from the cruise ship.
Winkleman, who is representing the passengers on board Viking Sky, said the cruise ship could have easily avoided the chaos by following the lead of two popular ferry services in the area.
“There's two ferry services. One runs north, one runs south, directly in this area off the coast of Norway - known to be one of the most dangerous spots,” Winkleman explained. "Those two ferry captains? They didn't sail that day. You want to know why they didn't sail that day? Because it was putting their passengers at way too much risk.”
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When asked why Viking should pay out a total of $10 million to the plaintiffs, Winkleman cited a husband and wife who signed on to the lawsuit. The wife fractured multiple ribs while her husband is still hospitalized with an infection related to his initial back injury.
“They played with these people's lives and I think the passengers who've already retained my firm and I - they were terrified, and it was a terrifying experience.”