Your Rights In A Cruise Line Injury Lawsuit
Many people consider cruises to be once in a lifetime vacations
, and they certainly can be that. Typically, after an unexpected onboard incident such as a fire or missed port due to weather, cruise lines offer some form of reimbursement, including a free cruise. But if you are injured on a cruise due to negligence on the part of the cruise company, you may be entitled to much more. Often, to claim just compensation, you will have to file a cruise line accident lawsuit.
Southern Florida: Cruise Ship Capital of the World
Southern Florida is where many Americans leave for their cruises. More than 5 million passengers leave on cruises from U.S ports each year, and many of these embark in southern Florida. This is important because many cruise ships require that lawsuits against them be filed in southern Florida, usually in Miami. Affected passengers who don't live in this region must travel there if a cruise line accident lawsuit goes to trial.
Cruise Lawsuits and their Limitations
The cruise industry makes billions of dollars in profits every year, and they are not in the business of giving away money when they don't have to. That's why the fine print on your cruise tickets is so important if you are injured on a cruise. Generally you have only one year from the time of the cruise to bring a lawsuit, and once that year is over, you're out of luck.
Common Cruise Ship Injuries
Common injuries suffered onboard cruise ships include:
Food poisoning
Assault
Slipping on a deck
Falling down stairs
Tripping on elevated thresholds
While most cruise lines devote plenty of capital to making their fleet safe with things like security monitoring, background checks on employees, and modern sprinkler systems, they are occasionally negligent, and passenger injuries result.
Protecting your Rights after a Cruise Injury
Many people who are injured on a cruise ship write to the cruise line and are ignored. Or, they may be asked to forward certain documents to the cruise line so that a claim can be investigated. If this process is dragged out beyond one year, the passenger is out of luck due to the statue of limitations. Most passengers are not eager for a lawsuit, but it is critical that they contact a qualified attorney well before the one-year deadline in case a
cruise line injury lawsuit is necessary.
Passenger Responsibilities in the Event of Injury
The burden is on the passenger to prove that the cruise ship is responsible for an accident. Therefore it is vital that anyone injured on a cruise keep track of supporting documentation such as:
Receipts for out-of-pocket expenses
Insurance claims
Medical bills
Injured passengers should request their shipboard medical records before the cruise ends. As soon as possible after an injury, the passenger should take photos and / or video of the accident scene, make notes to document exactly what happened, and obtain contact information for all witnesses.
Nobody sets out to take a cruise and then file a cruise lawsuit due to an injury, but sometimes that is exactly what is required for an injured passenger to be adequately compensated.
by: Joseph Maus
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