It is estimated that more than 13 million passengers travel on pleasure cruises departing North American ports this year. While this number has increased significantly in just the past five years, the safety aboard these ships has not correspondingly increased. Claims of injuries, assaults by crew members, and violent illnesses have become seemingly commonplace. Recently, with the publicity surrounding a string of disappearances and viruses acquired aboard cruise ships, the cruise line industry has come under heightened scrutiny. For those who litigate cruise line cases, these shocking stories and tragic results come as no surprise.
Cruise ships are not merely common carriers, they are virtual floating cities. These floating cities, however, lack fundamental safety policies, protocols, and procedures to protect passengers from harm. In addition, antiquated laws and contractual language limiting rights and remedies, puts travelers in a precarious position. As one judge stated, the lesson to be learned from over a hundred years of non evolving case law and confusion regarding limitations on rights and remedies, is essentially the following: "Don't have an accident, don't get sick, and hope for an uneventful cruise vacation, otherwise you will discover that your rights and remedies as an aggrieved consumer are governed by antiquated legal principles which favor cruise lines to the detriment of cruise passengers."
That being said, the barriers to recover for injuries caused aboard cruise ships are not impenetrable. Several American courts, realizing the impracticality and injustice resulting from the current state of affairs, have handed down landmark decisions regarding the accountability of cruise ship corporations to their passengers.
Leesfield & Partners has extensive experience with cases involving cruise ships and boating accidents. Special considerations, including shortened statutes of limitations and venue selection, must be immediately addressed as they are controlled by the terms of the passenger ticket. Our trial attorneys will aggressively pursue the maximum compensation provided by law. For a complete list of the firm's representative results, go to our Verdicts and Settlements section.
To contact one of our experienced trial lawyers call our Miami law office today at 800-836-6400 or click here for a free and full case evaluation.