August 27, 1999
Web posted at: 9:15 p.m. EDT (0115 GMT)

MIAMI (CNN) -- A class-action lawsuit filed Friday accuses Norwegian Cruise Line Limited of negligence in the recent collision of one of its ships with a cargo ship. The collision jolted passengers out of their beds.

The Norwegian Dream, carrying 1,700 passengers and hundreds of crew members, collided with the Ever Decent, a 52,000-ton cargo ship, in the English Channel on Tuesday, the final day of the passenger liner's 12-day voyage.

The bow of the cruise ship was smashed in and some containers from the cargo ship fell onto its deck. No serious injuries were reported. A fire broke out among flammable containers aboard the cargo ship.

"A lot of people were frightened in the middle of the night," attorney George Mahfood said.

His Miami-based law firm, Leesfield, Leighton Rubio and Mahfood, filed suit on behalf of plaintiffs John and Mary Hutton of Las Vegas, but it is drafted to include all 1,700 passengers aboard the Norwegian Dream.

The suit claims passengers suffered "physical injuries, pain, shock, fear, emotional distress and a variety of other physically manifested injuries" as a result of the collision.

It also accuses Norwegian Cruise Line of failing to operate "in a safe and reasonable manner under the circumstances of the English Channel" as well as "failing to employ reasonably competent and duly skilled officers and crew to safely navigate and operate the Norwegian Dream."

Mahfood said the Huttons were tossed out of bed when the two ships collided. The 76-year-old man and his 71-year-old wife, then had to climb three flights of stairs to get to their vessel's emergency level.

"For people their age, this was fairly traumatic," Mahfood said.

Norwegian Cruise Line would not comment on the suit and said the company is still investigating the cause of the accident.

"We don't comment on pending litigation," spokeswoman Fran Fevcik said.

The cruise began in Dover, England, went on to St. Petersburg, Russia; Helsinki, Finland; Copenhagen, Denmark; and other destinations before returning to Dover. The cost for the 12-day cruise ranged from $1,239 for the basic package up to $8,539 for top-of-the-line travel package.

The cruise line offered a $300 discount for any future cruises to inconvenienced passengers.

Norwegian Cruise Line canceled four scheduled sailings of the Norwegian Dream to repair damage to the ship's bow and bridge wing. Guests booked on those 12-day cruises will receive full refunds plus a 50 percent discount on a future cruise.