subject: Were You Injured On A Cruise Ship? [print this page] If you experience an accident while on a cruise, you may think you have a solid case. For example, if you fall due to an obvious slipping hazard and the incident is captured by surveillance cameras, you may think your case is a "slam dunk." But it may not be obvious whether your cruise line is subject to state law, maritime law, or international law, and it takes a cruise lawyer with specific cruise accident lawsuit experience to be able to determine which laws apply in your case.
You Have to File in a Specific Venue
Thanks to a 1991 United States Supreme Court Ruling, cruise lines are able to specify that lawsuits against them must be filed in specific locations. Most suits must be filed in Miami, and this is the case regardless of where you live. If you don't live near Miami, this is obviously a big complicating factor. However, a cruise accident attorney with experience litigating cruise ship accident cases knows how to handle cases where the litigant does not live close by.
You Do Not Have Much Time
With many liability cases, you have several years in which to bring a claim against the liable party. But with cruise ship accidents, you only have one year from the time of the accident in which to do so. That means you have to act swiftly and decisively. If you are injured while on a cruise, get copies of your cruise ship medical record, find out if there is surveillance footage that may have captured the incident, and get contact information from witnesses. As soon as you're back on dry land, contact a cruise lawyer with experience in such cases. A lawsuit may not be necessary, but you want to be prepared if it does.
Trying to Work it Out Yourself is Rarely Successful
You may think the most reasonable course of action is to contact the cruise line and explain the situation in hopes that they will get their insurer to settle with you. However, cruise lines are remarkably skilled in "running out the clock" on the one-year statute of limitations. If they reply to you at all, it is likely to take the better part of a year, and whatever they may offer you will be inadequate, particularly if you have had continuing medical problems as a result of your cruise ship accident.
Cruise Lines Have Aggressive Legal Representation
Cruise lines have aggressive legal representatives on their side, and they won't pay out a settlement unless they're forced to. You need experienced, competent, and aggressive legal representation too if you want any chance of being compensated for your medical bills, pain, or suffering after a cruise ship accident. Cruise companies may not sit up and listen until a lawsuit is filed. Even if litigation becomes necessary, your case may not go all the way to trial. In many cases, cruise companies will settle rather than risk being embroiled in a lawsuit that could damage their reputation. For all these reasons, contacting an experienced cruise accident lawyer is your best course of action after an injury.
