Cruise Ship Personal Injury Accident Lawyer

Cruise Ship Accident Lawyer

It is paramount to have some form of legal experience in the event you get injured while on a cruise ship as a passenger or a member. The law governing maritime activities consist of treaties, federal and state statutes, including agreements reached by the government under the cruise ship liabilities formulated by the United Nations (UN) to cater for injuries and deaths at sea. In the determination of cases, a few basic concepts are applicable based on land with different sea laws from the historical tenets. Filing a case on a foreign-flagged ship in international water is fraught with complex jurisdiction. Such cases are left for multi-factorial factors and existing legal issues to determine if the origin of the passengers and crewmen are relevant.         

Also, the flagged ship’s accommodation always comes in handy in determining where to institute legal action. The “contract of carriage” (also known as an employment contract or ticket contract) serve as limitations in enforcing the right of a victim. Typically, limitation statutes are shorter. For instance, the time limit for one to institute a passenger lawsuit is just one year. Another thing is that it is mandatory for passenger victims to tender a written notice under a contract of passenger ticket within six months from the date of injury to the cruise line. The complex procedural issues and substantive law overwhelmingly differs from the conventional state tort laws. Although, the cruise company and the victim are based abroad, or in the US, the admiralty and maritime laws of a foreign state are applicable. Thus, it is highly necessary to contact experienced cruise ship lawyers immediately to investigate the law and facts that apply in the state of Florida.             

The Big Picture

Following the achievement of a technological breakthrough, cruise ships have increased in sizes. Each year produces new ships, with the number of passengers growing above 5000. At some point, a total of 10,000 people were recorded, including the additional crew members. As the cruise ship industry grows rapidly, safety needs also increase. Cruise ships are like floating cities with peculiar risk and harm that is different from the ones known on land. Some land-based risk is also carried down to the sea by these ships. Law enforcement agents are not seen aboard these ships. Medical services are too limited, and there is the usual scarcity of personnel to adequately enforce safety needs. Cruise ships are developed as a way of giving passengers a feel of high safety, which isn’t the case in reality. Against these backdrops, it becomes more critical for victims to seek legal help and advice when an incident interrupts their holiday experience. This is where The Injury Firm, (your injury attorney, Fort Lauderdale) can assist you in enforcing your right as a passenger or member. 

Cruise ship personal injury accident attorneys like Ross Abramowitz, Paul Galsterer, and Derek Lewis, are highly experienced personal injury lawyers at The Injury Firm. For more than 27 combined years, our attorneys have been representing crew members and passengers across the world. We have assisted thousands of victims (and their families) involved in cruise ship personal injury accidents and, in some cases, accidents causing death. Our attorneys help to enforce their rights and to claim compensation against major cruise lines, as well as smaller vessels, and against insurance companies. Our track record of successful personal injury claims speaks volumes of our professional legal experience. We have all the quality that you need.

If you or a loved one sustained an injury while on a cruise a ship, do not hesitate. Our Fort Lauderdale Personal Injury Attorneys will fight to enforce your legal rights. If no fair settlement offer is made, we will bring your case to trial. If you contact us as your lawyer, we will see to it that your case gets the quick attention it demands.  You are under no obligation as we offer free cruise ship personal injury accident consultation.

Shorter Statute and Complex State Laws of Limitations to File a Cruise Ship Personal Injury Accident Claim

Most times, a lot of passengers negate reading through the fine print that is added to all ticket contracts. Recently, copies are not being given to passengers. The only thing provided is a link detailing the terms and conditions. It is practically impossible for any cruise line company to alter contractual provisions that limit the time permissible for an injured victim to file a lawsuit or claim. Moreover, victims are required to tender a written notice that assists in pursuing a legal claim.        

Negating to document an incident while aboard a ship, or failure to provide notification within the stated time is capable of stopping a timely legal action. Considering these limitations, the time left for sorting out evidence under such legal issues is very minimal. Thus, victims of such maritime accidents must act fast in their decision making to secure the services of qualified attorneys, who will investigate the facts surrounding the case, obtain real evidence, and analyze all potential legal issues. If it is the negligent conduct of the cruise ship company that caused your injury or the injury of your loved one, you have a window of opportunity to getting what you are entitled to, only if you don’t wait to contact a maritime accident attorney quickly. Some people usually act too late, but none ever respond too soon.

 Why a Specialist is Needed for a Personal Injury Accident Claim on a Cruise Ship

Injuries sustained in foreign ports or water constitutes serious legal issues on the grounds of jurisdiction which is central to filing a successful claim. Most cruise ship accident victims are unaware that some cruise ship companies require injured passengers to file a personal and successful personal injury lawsuit ONLY in a federal court sitting in Miami, Florida. By implication, it means only lawyers licensed to practice law within that jurisdiction can represent you in such cases. Severe injuries can emanate from excision operators on the ship. If that be the case, knowing the law of a foreign nation-state is very critical. Aside from the need of having a whole claim, it is equally crucial to have a network of lawyers in different nations. Sometimes, legal action in a port state is deemed as the only alternative. The act of making unsuspecting passengers sign waivers is a crude practice employed by most cruise line companies before they can take part in most shipboard activities. Our cruise ship attorneys will help you to overcome these “blanket” waivers. We know how they work and how to checkmate and overcome every possible way they might try to stop entitlement to compensation for your injuries.

Overview of General Maritime Law and Ship Owner's Duty of Care

Negligence between parties in a cruise ship accident is a common feature relating to the ship. Regarding maritime law, the United States Supreme Court states that under such circumstances, cruise line operators owe passengers a legal duty. That is, failure to implement safety control for passengers could result in a life-threatening disaster. In most cases, operators of ships are often held liable for the negligence conduct and required to pay cash damages as compensations for personal injuries and losses resulting from such cruise ship accidents.      

To arrive at the definition of reasonable care under maritime law, it will depend on various circumstances. The definition and meaning of the term “reasonable” are not always the same in all situations. Generalization can sometimes be inferred in deriving the meaning. Cruise ship companies are expected to clear common areas as well as making their vessels free from a dangerous trip, slip, and fall. Therefore, reasonable care can also be described or viewed as the maintenance of shipping equipment, a good working order, including creating safe access to the vessel. It is mandatory by law that proper warnings should be issued against known but concealed hazards. Professionally, some of the factors that are investigated by our attorneys in ascertaining a case of reasonable care include;

• Is the accident happening for the first time? If not, then how many times has it occur?
• Is there an ongoing problem with this particular ship or vessel?
• Is the cruise ship company aware of this hazard or specific risk of danger?

 Read more "The Introduction to Maritime Law"

Failure to correct or give a warning regarding an unsafe condition can also constitute cruise line negligence. In some cases, negligence can also result from the performance of inexperienced trained crew members who failed to follow safety precautions or corporate procedures, leading to serious harm. Faulty equipment is not repaired in some cases. Just by the design, a cruise ship may portray different danger types. Poor flooring is used to build some vessels while some have very slippery floors. Sometimes due to wear and tear, a vessel might become harmful, and passengers will be exposed to tripping hazards like irregular flooring. Dangerous shipboard activities such as simulated surfing, climbing, or water slide injuries might also put passengers in danger. The majority of these competitive companies feature modern amusement facilities that usually come with inbuilt risks, some of which have no safety precautions yet.

Sometimes, operations performed by inexperienced crewmen can also constitute a case of negligence if they failed to follow procedural guidelines or safety precautions that result in serious personal injury. Apart from un-repaired faulty equipment, cruising ships demonstrate different types of danger. For instance, some vessels have poor floors, while others have slippery floors. Wear and tear can also make a vessel to become harmful, exposing passengers to the incidence of tripping on uneven flooring. Health and life-threatening shipboard activities like climbing, water slide, or simulated surfing injuries are also capable of endangering passengers. Most of these competitive cruise lines have modern amusement facilities that usually come with inbuilt risks and most of which lack safety precaution.

Slipping and falling on cruise ships are classified as some of the most common accidents due to wet or foreign substances found on the desk, dance floors, stairways, and also in some common traffic areas like ship gangways and open decks. Risky shore designs and executions and poor medical care can also injure some people. Another thing is that cruise ship operators are solely liable for any illegal acts committed by passengers. They are liable for a grievous act such as rape and other sexual assault perpetrated by staff members of the cruise ship.  

 Contact a Personal Injury Accident Cruise Ship Lawyer in Florida Today

If by accident you or your loved one is injured while on a cruise ship and you believe it to be as a result of negligence on the part of the cruise line operator, do not waste a moment of time to contact your Fort Lauderdale Personal Injury Attorney, for time is not your friend. Get in touch with your personal injury cruise ship attorney in Florida by the number 1-954-951-0000 or email us for assistance at info@flinjuryfirm.com.

Act Fast Before Cruise Ship Claim is Time-Barred

Don’t be deceived into thinking that a cruise line company will resolve your claim and compensate you for any personal injury you or your loved one may have sustained during a cruise unless an experienced Cruise Ship Accident Personal Injury Lawyer from Florida is there to assist you. Sometimes, victims are made to believe their case would be settled by an international delay by the company concerned. But this is just a clever tactic by the operators knowing that passenger accidents have a limited period of claim known in the legal circle as “statute of limitation.” Therefore, every injured person is advised to seek legal expert services from our law firm in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, so your claim doesn’t get time-barred. To understand how we can be of service, please, contact us at The Injury Firm on 954-951-0000 or simply contact us through our online portal at The Injury Firm.

Do you know that Cruise Ship accident personal injury passengers that sustained injuries due to the negligent conduct of employees on a cruise ship are entitled to financial compensation? That’s right. Such compensation is awarded for factors like medical care, replacement services, scarring, wage loss, pain and suffering, psychological and emotional trauma. To ensure you do not go uncompensated, carefully choose your lawyer. Go for one with experience and a success rating in similar cases. These will place you and your claim at a higher range of financial recovery from such accidents.  

Why Us?

Our personal injury law firm has been in the business of serving clients with serious injuries and death claims. Our experience span over years of personal injury litigation and the community we serve recognized us as one of the best and most reputable cruise ship accident personal injury law firms in the field. We can prove and nail home every client’s case in court in a convincing and resounding order, thanks to our experts in maritime law, accident recognition, mental health, medicine, rehabilitation, engineering, and security, as well as in the economic field. Our law firm is highly known due to the diligence with which we pursue and implement the interest of our clients. 

It is noteworthy that as the cruise line industry grows, so does the level of catastrophic incidence. Our job is to ensure our invaluable clients recover and recoup every lost property and also to make cruise lines pay for whatsoever harm their negligence caused. At The Injury Firm, we are committed to a mission of recovering fair compensation for clients, which will invariably make cruise ships safer.

Peace of Mind from Knowing the Legal Issues

We know how difficult it can be for the family of every cruise line accident victim. It is always hard to deal with sudden catastrophes. However, it is essential to be aware of your legal rights after your injury in such trying times. Thus, it is crucial to consult a lawyer who has experience in such cases and who knows exactly how to handle your situation.  

At The Injury Firm, we have a goal of assisting victims of cruise ship operators’ negligence, not just only in Miami, Florida, but from any part of the world, you may be. Our primary objective is to help you to recover your lost goods and be whole again. We have the right attorneys who are licensed and qualified to practice law in all federal and state courts in Florida, including the US District Courts for the Southern District of Florida.   

What things you can do during a personal injuring crisis on a cruise ship?

• Quickly report the incidence to the cruise ship authority in charge and asked to be given a copy containing the statement of your reports before disembarking from the ship.
• Request for a copy of any document you were asked to fill, and don’t also forget to collect the names of any member who assisted you during the incident.
• Provide us with a written notice indicating your intention to file a claim pursuant to the statute of limitations contained in the cruise ticket.
• Snap as many photos or record as much video as you can about the scene of the accident as a way of documenting the situation. Most cruise companies are known for tampering with evidence.
• Endeavor to get the contact information and names of any passenger who was there when the accident happened or who has knowledge about the circumstances surrounding the incident.
• Get a written statement from anyone that could be a potential witness from a foreign land.
• Contact and inform the FBI or law enforcement agents if any criminal or serious crime like rape has been committed.
• Quickly secure medical attention within the ship or outside the ship as practically possible as it may be.
• Quickly call a reputable and experienced personal injury cruise ship accident attorney or maritime lawyer at The Injury Firm to take up the case on your behalf while you rest and recover.
• You can call us without paying anything at 954-951-0000 for advice before making any attempt to leave the cruise ship.

 You can get a cruise ship accident personal injury attorney for a free consultation in Florida by calling us at 954-951-0000 or Contact Us Online.