Cruise Ship Rape and Sexual Assault
Cruises are becoming increasingly popular holiday options. However, this might also increase the chances that a rape or sexual assault occurs on board. These incidents are highly traumatic, often leaving victims scarred for life. It can also be very difficult to know what to do after these events occur. For this reason, you should make sure to contact your lawyer. They will be able to guide you through the process and make sure that you get the compensation that you deserve. Let’s look at some of the most important things that you should use when making a rape or sexual assault claim.
Liability Of The Cruise Company
The first thing that your personal injury lawyer will need to do when preparing your case establishes that the cruise company is liable. This will allow you to pursue your claim against them and get the compensation that you deserve. When you enter a ship, the cruise company assumes a duty of care. This means that they have an obligation to provide a safe environment. While this typically covers things like preventing tripping hazards and keeping all the equipment maintained properly, it does give them additional obligations. For example, they need to include relevant safety and security procedures to make sure that no-one on the boat is sexually assaulted or raped. If your lawyer can show that they didn’t fulfill this aspect of their obligations, you can take legal action against the company. Though it can be difficult, there are a few ways that your lawyer can do this.
There are multiple ways that the company can breach its duty of care to you. For example, they might fail to prepare or implement the correct security system. They can do this by not providing enough training to the staff, meaning that they weren’t properly prepared for this type of situation to occur. Also, they might have failed to monitor high-risk areas of the boat. They are also obligated to perform background checks to make sure that there are no sexual predators on the boat. They also need to make sure that youth activities are properly supervised. Finally, they might have served alcohol to a minor, reducing their ability to make informed decisions. If they didn’t take these actions, they have increased the chances that one of their guests would be sexually assaulted. Once your lawyer can show this, you will have a strong claim against the cruise company. However, there are a few techniques that the company might use to reduce the amount that it needs to pay. To prevent this, you should contact an experienced maritime lawyer as quickly after the event as possible.
Contact An Experienced Lawyer
Though it can be difficult, you should make sure that you talk to your lawyer about sexual assault or rape as quickly after the event as possible. They will be able to discuss the next steps that you need to take, making sure that you can get the damages that you are entitled to. This is because cruise ships often have a different set of rules, they are designed to prevent the company from getting sued by the people who they have wronged. For example, you typically have a much shorter time to report the incident and take legal action. For that reason, you should make sure that you contact your lawyer as promptly as possible. In addition, you will be able to tell them about the incident with a fresh mind. Often, the quicker you report it, the better your memory will be. This will make sure that your lawyer gets all the information they need to start preparing your case. For example, they can start getting access to surveillance videos that you can use to verify your experience. In some cases, this can be very difficult.
Gathering Evidence
Your lawyer will need to make sure that they have evidence to back up your claims and prove that the company is liable. Historically, this was a very difficult task. Cruise companies had the right to avoid co-operating with police when a crime was reported on their boats. This made it very hard for lawyers to gather enough evidence to adequately represent their clients and get compensation. Also, serious crimes like sexual assault and rape didn’t have to be reported by the cruise companies. Thankfully, the system was changed in 2010, making it easier for these crimes to be investigated.
Currently, the cruise ship companies are obligated to report any sexual assault or rape that occurs on the boat. While these statistics can be accessed by anyone, the information generally isn’t very specific. Also, the cruise ship companies need to take additional precautions to protect their passengers. For example, they are now required to install additional security measures to make sure that everyone is kept safe. They also need to make sure that they have rape kits onboard. Finally, they need to make sure that they have anti-viral medicine, ensuring that the victims don’t get any Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) from the perpetrators. Because of these changes, it’s now easier for lawyers to get information about the incident. This can help you build a strong case, as you can use these resources to show what happened and prove that the cruise ship company is liable for your injuries.
Conclusion
Sexual assault and rape are very serious crimes, which can have a big impact on the mental health of the victim. For example, in some cases, victims might develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as they struggle to overcome this horrific experience. Because of the serious nature of these incidents, you deserve to get compensation for your suffering. To help you navigate this difficult area of law, you should make sure that you get an experienced maritime lawyer. They will help guide you through your responsibilities and gather evidence from the cruise company. So, contact the team at The Injury Firm to learn how we can help victims of sexual assault and rape on cruise ships get the compensation they deserve.
