New evidence suggests that the captain on the Costa Concordia had been repeatedly ordered to go off-course and head toward the Giglio Island off the Tuscan coast where the ship ran aground and partially sank. The new evidence comes from leaked telephone transcripts of a conversation that the captain was having with an unidentified official from Costa cruises. During the conversation the ship’s captain is heard saying that Costa Cruise managers had insisted on the changed course that led to the accident.

The captain’s claims have been denied by Costa Cruise (the subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, the world’s biggest cruise line) and the cruise liner places all the blame on the captain’s shoulders. The clarification of this new information will prove to be important in terms of civil and/or criminal ramifications.

According to the New York Times, a prominent personal injury lawyer will be representing 30 Italian citizens who are suing the cruise line and will be aggressively pursuing ways to implicate the company.  The cruise ship accident lawyer was quoted as saying: “We’ll ask that the investigation shed some light on the still-dark angles of the accident,” and “We need to widen the range of responsibilities here. Can Schettino [captain of the Costa Concordia] alone have caused all of this?”

If you or anyone you know has been seriously injured or killed in a cruise ship accident, you should immediately seek advice from a personal injury lawyer that is experienced in handling cruise ship accidents. For a free consultation with such an attorney, complete the form to the left or call 212-566-1000. Based in New York City, Sullivan & Brill, LLP represents clients throughout the United States, as well as in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island, Nassau County, Suffolk County, Westchester Countyand other upstate New York counties.