The International Cruise Victims Association is Pleased to Announce That Senator Deb Fischer Introduces Major Legislation to End DOHSA
Error message
- Notice: Undefined property: stdClass::$ds_changed in eval() (line 16 of /var/www/7/modules/php/php.module(80) : eval()'d code).
- Notice: Undefined property: stdClass::$ss_search_api_url in eval() (line 20 of /var/www/7/modules/php/php.module(80) : eval()'d code).
- Notice: Undefined property: stdClass::$tm_title in eval() (line 20 of /var/www/7/modules/php/php.module(80) : eval()'d code).
- Notice: Undefined property: stdClass::$ds_changed in eval() (line 16 of /var/www/7/modules/php/php.module(80) : eval()'d code).
- Notice: Undefined property: stdClass::$ss_search_api_url in eval() (line 20 of /var/www/7/modules/php/php.module(80) : eval()'d code).
- Notice: Undefined property: stdClass::$tm_title in eval() (line 20 of /var/www/7/modules/php/php.module(80) : eval()'d code).
This is the ICV organizations response to the announcement made yesterday by Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.)
The International Cruise Victims Association (ICV) is praising the fact
that American cruise ship passengers are now one step closer to being
more fully protected and truly prioritized. This is the ICV
organization’s response to the announcement made yesterday by Senator
Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Chairperson of the Senate Subcommittee on
Transportation and Safety as she introduced legislation which calls for
an end to the oppressive 1920 law known as DOHSA (Death on the High Seas
Act).
In the course of nearly one hundred years this law, originally a sword
of protection and support for the widows and dependents of seamen who
died while working on ships in foreign waters, became a shield behind
which the cruise industry has been allowed to hide; avoiding financial
accountability for the wrongful deaths of passengers who do not have
dependents or income. “These passengers,” Senator Fischer says,
“include children, students, and retirees which account for a
significant portion of the 12 million Americans who cruise each year.”
The dedicated efforts of two sisters, Kelly Lankford and Jill Malott,
members of ICV who lost both their mother and father in a tragic fire
onboard a Peruvian river cruise on April 10, 2016, served as the impetus
for this legislation. Senator Fischer has authored and named the bill
Hammers’ Law for their parents, Larry and Christy Hammer of Omaha,
Nebraska.
In
her press release, Senator Fischer indicated the following:
“The tragic passing of Larry and Christy Hammer is something no family
should have to endure. My office has been working with their daughters,
Jill and Kelly, coordinating with the State Department to get answers
from the Peruvian government and hold culpable parties responsible.
Hammers’ Law would change existing law to help ensure cruise lines are
held accountable after such a devastating loss.”
For nearly a century, countless American cruise ship passengers have
been tragically affected by this law. Jill and Kelly spoke for many of
them saying:
“The only way we have found to move forward from the loss of our parents
is by working to prevent future tragedies from devastating more
families. We are grateful to Senator Fischer for introducing Hammers'
Law to safeguard the millions of Americans who cruise each year."
DOHSA has prevented innumerable families from receiving fair and just
compensation when their loved ones have died as a result of wrongful
death at sea. Hammers’ Law will finally align the cruise industry with
the aviation industry, which in 2000 amended DOHSA to allow for
more adequate compensation for victims of major commercial aviation
accidents. Sadly, cruise ship provisions have remained in the pre-World
War ll era. International Cruise Victims joins with Senator Fischer and
the Hammer family in calling for this inequity to be exposed and
eliminated.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190410005930/en/