Cruise Ship Injury Lawyers
Prosecuting cruise ship injury claims is a complicated process. Sustaining an injury while on a cruise and filing a claim against that cruise company will require that you get an experienced maritime lawyer. Existing laws favor the cruise ship companies by, among other things, requiring claimants pass through hoops not found in other areas of the law.
Keep in mind that while on a cruise ship, you are not in the United States as far as your legal rights are concerned. The flag of the vessel should indicate “where” you are in terms of your legal rights. If the flag is Panamanian, you are in Panama. If the flag is Bahamian, you are in the Bahamas. There are very few exceptions to this.
Common claims against cruise ship companies:
- Injuries of any kind onboard a cruise ship
- Injuries while on shore excursions arranged or sanctioned by the cruise ship company
- Physical & sexual assaults by cruise ship crew members
Read Your Ticket
Multiple-page cruise tickets typically contain a wealth of extremely small print that virtually no one ever reads. You should read it, as many of your rights are affected by this fine print. If you are injured or become sick due to the fault of the cruise company, for example, your lawsuit must be filed within one year. Many people, including lawyers, miss provisions like these in a ticket. Courts generally enforce these various provisions, so if you fail to follow the rules on your ticket, you run the very real risk of the court throwing out your personal injury claim against the cruise ship company.
There are many companies involved with cruise ships, all of which may be liable for your injury. It often makes sense to sue not only the owner of the cruise ship but the company that chartered the cruise ship, the company that operated the cruise ship and even the company that sold you your ticket. All of these companies may be sister companies to or subsidiaries of the company that owns the cruise ship, effectively making it even more difficult to collect on a legitimate cruise ship injury claim.
If you have suffered injury or illness while on a cruise ship and would like to pursue a claim, please contact the experienced maritime attorneys at the Cochran Firm today.