Dutch Costa Concordia survivors warned against low compensation

01 februari 2012

Personal injury lawyer Sander de Lang made this statement on Wednesday following reports in the national daily AD which described the offer as much too low. “We don’t know yet how the psychological injuries will develop,” said Mr De Lang, who represents 12 Dutch survivors of the disaster.

The owners of the Costa Concordia announced last week that they are willing to pay survivors 11,000 euros plus expenses in compensation. The offer does not cover injured passengers or the next of kin of victims. Mr De Lang advises people not to accept the offer. His 12 clients are all experiencing psychological problems, and he argues that it is too early to draw conclusions about how serious they are.

“The consequences of post-traumatic stress disorder can be extremely serious, people may no longer be able to work,” De Lang says. “In which case 11,000 euros does not measure up to the psychological damage they sustained.”

The Costa Concordia hit a rock off the Italian island of Isola del Giglio on 13 January. The ship had 4,229 people on board when it capsized, including a crew of about 1,000. So far, 17 bodies have been recovered, 15 people are still missing.

(gsh/imm)