Our Miami cruise ship injury lawyers represent clients who sustain serious injuries while vacationing on cruise ships. The most common lines that our Miami cruise ship lawyers file claims against are American Cruise Lines, Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean International. If you were injured in a cruise ship accident accident, you should contact our firm immediately at 1-800-836-6400.
It is estimated that during the winter months in the United States, there are at least thirty cruise ship departures per week in the United States alone. Over fifty-one million people have taken a cruise in the past three years. Unfortunately, as with any form of travel, accidents can happen and cruise ship passengers can get injured. The situation is magnified when it takes place aboard a cruise ship because often times adequate medical attention is not immediately available or may not be provided at all, even if available; and cruise ships will not 'divert' to the nearest port to take care of a needy passenger.
Cruise ship industry experts estimate that several thousand people per a year get seriously injured, or even killed, on cruise ships. These injuries occur due to dangerous conditions on the ship, excursion injuries, food poisoning, and injuries caused because the ship crew failed to take necessary precautions in poor weather. As a cruise ship passenger you should know that there are special laws, called maritime laws and conventions (a convention is an international law), that can apply to injuries aboard cruise ships and you should be extremely careful about discussing your injuries with anyone, including the cruise line, without first consulting an attorney knowledgeable in travel injury law.
The cruise ship companies often include special provisions and language on their tickets that limit the time in which you can file a claim and the location a claim can be filed. If you do not comply with these provisions, your claim will be lost forever. You should also be careful that the attorney you consult doesn’t just think he can settle the case with a few well written letters – we have seen this attitude and it can trap the unwary attorney and seriously harm the client.
You should be prepared to speak with a cruise ship injury lawyer who is versed in travel injury law and has experience with cruise lines in recovering on behalf of injured passengers. Because of the complexity and the intersection of personal injury law and maritime law you should speak with an cruise ship injury attorney as soon as possible to conduct an initial review of your claim.
You should also be prepared to bring with you all your cruise documents, including the cruise ticket and booklet in which the tickets were torn out of, plus any travel itineraries, saved or printed web pages and credit card receipts. These documents all play an important role in properly evaluating your case.