Most people immediately think of disasters when imagining a cruise ship accident. The ship sinking, being grounded, capsizing, or colliding with another ship or a fixed object are just a few of the disastrous scenarios that can occur. These disasters may seem "natural" or "unavoidable," but that is not always the case. A captain’s error could result in the boat sinking, or the pilot may inadvertently steer the ship into an object, such as a dock.
Fires, propulsion issues, and loss of power can all cause situations that injure passengers. Often, crews will know about existing problems beforehand. When they do not want to cancel a trip and lose the profit, they may allow the cruise to continue and put the safety of the passengers at risk.
An outbreak of a dangerous illness, such as norovirus, influenza, or Legionnaires’ disease, can also be of great concern on a cruise ship. While cruise ships are large, they are still a confined space and viruses can spread easily and quickly. Crew members need to always be on the lookout for passengers who may be contagious. If any passenger is deathly ill, the ship needs to be prepared to care for them, have other passengers disembark, or arrange for an airlift to a hospital.
Deaths can also occur on a cruise ship. They may be accidental, such as a passenger drowning in an onboard pool, or they can be intentional, such as someone jumping overboard. Cruise ships also see a number of crimes, such as rape, assault, and robbery.
Other injuries can also be caused by a basic slip-and-fall. A fall may be caused by a passenger tripping over an obstacle left in a pathway, or on a spilled drink that has not been cleaned up promptly.