Costa Concordia: How the ship disaster changed my life forever
"It has moved my life in a completely different direction than where it was meant to be." Those are the words of James Thomas, from Streetly, a survivor of the Costa Concordia disaster, who has spoken of the impact on his life since.
The 24-year-old was a dancer working on the cruise ship when it wrecked on the Tuscan coast in January 2012 but he told the Express & Star he has now abandoned that career path and is now applying for jobs in merchandising.
James has since moved back from London admitting he could no longer afford to live there.
He said: "Day to day I don't think about it. But it has definitely moved my life in a completely different direction than where it was meant to be. I moved to London to move forward with my career. I was meant to do cruise ships for five years but this cut my experiences short. Sadly I ended up getting in debt and I had to get a normal job just to live day to day. I couldn't do what I was there for."
James is now back at Whitethorn Crescent, Streetly, and while he is applying for jobs he is also working with The Prince's Trust to kickstart an alternative career in fashion.
While some people have flown out to Italy this week in relation to the ongoing legal action against Costa Crociere SpA, James said he was not going.
The ship was carrying more than 4,200 people when it capsized killing 32 of them.
Captain Francesco Schettino has since been convicted and jailed for manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning his passengers.
James is one 12 passengers and crew represented by Irwin Mitchell who are still pursuing legal action against the company for physical and psychological injuries. The liner firm has disputed findings of UK medical experts and now the claimants have been requested to undergo further assessments.
James, who is due to fly out to Italy in September for his evaluation, added: "I haven't had thoughts about them (the firm) in a long time. It is frustrating but I think 'okay you do whatever you like, get over yourself'. It wasn't an act of God. It was one man's stupid decision. They were paying that man who has been found guilty, so they should take responsibility. It is ridiculous Costa has chosen to take this route. They should have put their hands up straight away instead of trying to save as much money as possible."
