George Marcure And Nikki Upchurch
Couple Sue Cruise Line Claiming Negligence In Fire
Star Princess - March 23, 2006
George Marcure And Nikki Upchurch
Date: March 23, 2007
Cruise Bruise: Smoke Inhalation
Bruise Location: Caribbean
Age:
Home Town: California
Cruise Line: Princess Cruise Lines
Ship: Star Princess
Details:
George Marcure and Nikki Upchurch say in their federal suit filed Wednesday that they were in their cabin, across from the cabin that caught fire on the Star Princess sailing in the Caribbean on March 23, 2006.
The couple says a woman came running out of her cabin, screaming her balcony was had caught fire. The couple say after looking in her cabin, and seeing flames they pulled the fire alarm.
The couple say what happened next was just plain negligence. They were then exposed to smoke for about 60 minutes with no directions or announcements from the crew.
They say that after the fire alarm was pulled, a fire door closed on their floor and they retreated to their stateroom, but that when they tried telephoning the ship's crew, no one answered any of the various numbers they dialed.
From there, they say the hall filled with smoke, their cabin began to fill with smoke, and their cabin door was hot to the touch. The couple at that point has serious fear for their lives.
After about 20 minutes locked in their cabin with wet towels over their mouths, Marcure crawled into the smoke-filled hallway, where he saw the feet of the one passenger who died in the fire, the suit states.
Crew members who eventually responded to their calls down the hallway "were apparently unaware they were missing," even though other family members who were onboard had reported them missing, the suit states.
The couple allege Princess was negligent by failing to properly instruct its staff and rehearse evacuations for deck fires, failing to install fire suppressant devices on the decks of the Star Princess, failing to man the 911 line and other phone lines on board during the fire, and failing to provide emergency breathing devices for passengers.
