Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Court Awards Billions in Damages to Relatives of Victims in the Danube Sightseeing Boat Tragedy

Relatives of those who perished in the Hableány tragedy have been granted a total of 1.8 billion Hungarian forints in compensation.
Individual awards vary, with some receiving 5 million and others up to 80 million forints.

"Incomprehensible tragedy on a human scale," cited the presiding judge during the announcement of the compensation verdict in the Hableány case, explaining the reason substantial compensation was awarded to the relatives of the victims who lost their lives. In the lawsuit, 78 claimants sought damages totaling 4.3 billion forints, of which the judge found a sum of 1 billion 825 million forints to be justified and ruled accordingly.

The judge opined that in four cases, the claimants were not entitled to any compensation. The judge emphasized that the compensation is not about the monetary value of human lives, but rather a mandatory payment based on suffered grievances, as dictated by current legal regulations.

Viking Cruises AG and Panoráma Deck have been ordered to pay the hefty sum within 15 days. The sums awarded to the victims' relatives vary significantly, with some receiving 5 million and others up to 80 million forints.

In the judgment, the judge also pointed out the claim by lawyers representing Viking Cruises that, in fact, the Hableány had an obligation to give way to the approaching Viking Sigyn. The judge found it absurd that the comparatively small Hableány, only a fortieth the size of the Viking, was expected to move out of the way before the collision.

"Assuming, but not conceding, that the Hableány had an obligation to give way, it does not justify the larger vessel navigating as if there were no smaller boat in front of it and then running it over," the judge explained.

The judgment also mentioned that the Hableány was not in a seaworthy condition on the night of the accident, as it was short-staffed by one sailor. The required number of sailors for a ship's deck is specified in what is called a navigation certificate. It's impossible to ascertain whether the accident could have been averted if there had been a second sailor on board the Hableány. However, the judge suggested that "more eyes would have seen more," perhaps noticing that the Viking Sigyn, forty times larger, was dangerously close. It is a sailor's duty to detect this, as they must participate in identifying and preventing hazards.

The role of another Viking ship, which was also sailing nearby on the Danube at the time of the accident, was mentioned in the ruling. The Viking Idun should have participated in the rescue, "just as many nearby small boats did, resulting in the painfully few survivors being saved."

Curiously, the judgment also compared South Korean and Hungarian family models. The representatives of the South Korean families argued that the structure of families in South Korea differs significantly: they live in larger family units and with closer relationships than in Hungary. This has significant implications for compensation, as the court determines compensation amounts based on the degree of kinship. However, the court considered not only this but also how close each family member genuinely was to the deceased. Having heard from over seventy South Korean relatives, the judge saw no significant difference between Korean and Hungarian family models. The compensation decision was also influenced by the fact that among the claimants, several had lost multiple family members in the 2019 tragedy.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Japanese Technology Firm Fujitsu Launches Advanced Artificial Intelligence Tool for Corporate Disclosures
South Africa Officially Launches Nationwide Campaign for Highly Contested Local Government Elections
United Kingdom Commits Additional Funding for Unexploded Ordnance Clearance in Laos
Singapore Announces Stringent New Greenhouse Gas Regulations for Commercial Cooling Systems
Cambodia and Thailand Hold High-Level Border Security Talks at United Nations Headquarters
Myanmar Military Government and China Sign Major Agreement to Upgrade Media and Cultural Cooperation
Knife Attack at Swiss Train Station Leaves Three Injured in Suspected Act of Domestic Terrorism
Transnational Extortion Gang Threatens Canadian Police With Army of One Thousand Armed Operatives
Australia Imposes Forty-Two-Day Quarantine on Cruise Ship Passengers Following Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak
International Monetary Fund Unlocks Seven Hundred Million United States Dollars for Sri Lanka Following Economic Reforms
Australia Launches Record One Point Four Billion Dollar Lawsuit Against Chemical Giant 3M Over Contamination
China and Canada Foreign Ministers Meet in Ottawa in Effort to Stabilize Strained Diplomatic Ties
Indonesia Demands Urgent United Nations Security Council Reform Amid Escalating Global Conflicts
Extreme Weather Patterns Trigger Severe Drought in Madagascar and Destructive Flooding in East Africa
Indian State of Karnataka Faces Political Upheaval as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Abruptly Resigns
Philippines and Japan Reaffirm Defense Ties as Crucial for Indo-Pacific Regional Stability
Norway Joins French Nuclear Deterrence Initiative in Major Shift for European Security Architecture
Global Critical Mineral Alliances Expand as Western Nations Move to Counter Chinese Supply Dominance
United States Imposes Fifty Percent Tariffs on Mexican Steel and Aluminum Ahead of Trade Pact Review
European Union and China Head Toward Major Trade Conflict Over Clean Technology Exports
United States Economic Growth Severely Downgraded to One Point Six Percent as Stagflation Fears Mount
World Health Organization Warns Central African Ebola Epidemic is Outpacing Containment Efforts
United States Treasury Department Conditions Sanctions Relief on Reopening of the Strait of Hormuz
Iranian Air Defenses Intercept and Destroy United States Military Drone Over Bushehr Province
Iranian Armed Forces Launch Ballistic Missiles Toward Unspecified Targets Prompting Regional Condemnation
United Nations Secretary-General Warns Global Order Facing Highest Level of Conflict Since 1945
Israel Issues Sweeping Evacuation Orders in Southern Lebanon Amid Intensified Hezbollah Conflict
Russia Announces Systemic Military Strikes Targeting Ukrainian Defense and Energy Infrastructure
United States and Iranian Negotiators Reach Draft Agreement to Extend Ceasefire and Resume Nuclear Talks
United Nations Security Council Deeply Divided Over United States Capture of Venezuelan President
US and Iran Exchange Direct Military Strikes Amid Fragile Gulf Ceasefire
World Health Organization Warns of Catastrophic Ebola Outbreak in DR Congo
Russia Threatens New Wave of Strikes on Ukrainian Infrastructure and Embassies
Scientists Warn Atlantic Ocean Currents Could Collapse Faster Than Projected
Anthropic Reaches $900 Billion Valuation in Historic AI Funding Round
Washington Imposes Crippling Sanctions on Iranian Maritime Authority
Japan and the Philippines Initiate Strategic Intelligence-Sharing Pact
Microsoft Deploys Autonomous Computer-Using AI Agents to Global Markets
Anthropic Secures $45 Billion Compute Infrastructure Agreement With SpaceX
U.S. Director of National Intelligence Resigns Amid Administration Shakeup
Micron Technology Crosses Trillion-Dollar Valuation Amid Unprecedented Hardware Demand
Canada and Germany Finalize Historic Long-Term LNG Export Agreement
China Expands International Travel Restrictions on Domestic AI Researchers
Japan Approves Sweeping Overhaul of National Intelligence Apparatus
Global Airlines Scramble Logistics as Middle East Airspace Remains Fractured
Japan's Naphtha Imports Plunge 47 Percent Amid Strait of Hormuz Closure
Global Crude Prices Retreat Below $96 as Gulf Tensions Momentarily Ease
Generative AI Outperforms Human Baselines in Landmark Global Creativity Study
NASA Partners With Private Aerospace to Unveil Permanent Lunar Base Architecture
South Korean Equity Markets Surge on Next-Generation Memory Chip Frenzy
×