Cases involving injuries to cruise ship passengers may include injuries, deaths, missing passengers who apparently fell in the ocean, passengers being hit by falling objects, food poisoning, being thrown by rough seas due to the neglect of the captain and nearly every other conceivable type of injury possible on land can exist on cruise ships. Injuries also occur when passengers leave the ship to visit ports of call. Cruise ships arrange and promote tours, trips, scuba, fishing and other activities and sometimes they do not check out or monitor the safety of these companies that provide the services the cruise ship sells to the passengers.
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Clark County. According to the Washington State Office of Financial Management's estimate in July of 2008, the city has a population of 163,186, making it the fourth largest city in the state. It is part of the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area, which is the 23rd largest metropolitan area in the United States with over 2 million residents. The larger city of Vancouver, British Columbia is located 305 miles (491 km) north of Vancouver, Washington. Both cities were named for sea captain George Vancouver, but the Canadian city was not incorporated until 1886, nearly thirty years after the incorporation of Vancouver, Washington, and more than sixty years after the name Vancouver was first used in reference to the nearby historic Fort Vancouver. City officials have periodically suggested changing the city's name to Fort Vancouver, Vancouver USA, or even Old Vancouver to reduce confusion with Vancouver, British Columbia. Many Pacific Northwest residents distinguish between the two cities by referring to the Canadian Vancouver as "Vancouver, B. C" and the United States one as "Vancouver, Washington", "Vantucky", or simply as "The 'Couv(e)," as the latter is not used in reference to the Canadian city.