Dunfermline man suing cruise liner firm he blames for wife's death
A Dunfermline taxi driver is suing a cruise liner company following his wife's death, claiming that the ship should not have sailed in a storm that he believes ultimately led to her death.
Mr and Mrs Davey.
- By Paul Reoch
- Published in the Courier : 01.02.11
- Published online : 01.02.11 @ 05.39pm
John Davey (61) and his wife Barbara had set sail from Barcelona on the Royal Caribbean vessel Brilliance of the Seas on December 5, but their holiday turned into a nightmare when the ship was hit by 45-foot waves and 70-knot winds two days after it left Rhodes, bound for Alexandria in Egypt.
Mrs Davey went into a coma, was flown back and taken to the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh but died on January 7, when the cause of death was given as a brain haemorrhage.
Her husband believes the 56-year-old former hairdresser suffered a series of strokes due to the ship being buffeted by the waves, and puts the blame for her death at Royal Caribbean's door.
He has instructed specialist maritime solicitors to sue the firm, stressing that the cruise liner should not have left the port of Rhodes prior to the storm. Mr Davey said the liner's captain admitted via the PA system that he had turned off the ship's wave stabilisers, which would have limited the impact of the waves if activated.
"I was sleeping in my cabin when suddenly I was thrown completely clear of my bed by the impact of a huge wave on the boat," he said.
"When I got up to look out of our cabin window I saw another giant wave hurtling towards us. It must have been at least 45 feet tall-Barbara was screaming and we both thought that we were going to die, right then.
"When the wave hit us the boat lurched around 30 degrees and it seemed that the wall was becoming the floor. Outside I could see the propellers of the ship being lifted clean out of the ocean."
Mr Davey said his room was "effectively turned upside down" by the storm, adding, "The ship was a wreck, all the glass was smashed, doors and windows were broken, and everything that hadn't been bolted down was gone.
"People were leaving the ship with arms in slings and broken legs in bandages-it looked like a war zone."
Mrs Davey awoke vomiting that night. Hospital medics induced a coma and operated to relieve pressure on her brain. She was airlifted to Edinburgh three weeks later, where Mr Davey made the agonising decision to switch off her life support machine.
"I went on holiday to spend time with my beautiful wife and now I have had to say goodbye to her forever," he said.
"It was the worst moment of my life. I just can't believe that because of the foolhardy and irresponsible behaviour of this company I have been forced through hell and lost my soulmate."
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