Did you suffer an injury on a cruise ship? Did you slip and fall on a wet deck on Carnival Cruise Lines? Perhaps you and your children suffered food poisoning on a Disney Cruise. No matter how your injuries occur, you need a lawyer on your side that can help you fight for justice and the compensation you deserve.
Cruise ship injuries can occur in accidents like onboard fires or marine accidents. However, the vast majority of injuries on cruise ships involve much less catastrophic injuries. In fact, cruise ship injuries are similar to those you would receive on land.
If you were injured in an accident on a cruise ship, talk to cruise ship injury lawyer Prosper Shaked today. Call Prosper Shaked Accident Injury Attorneys PA today to schedule a free consultation on how to sue for a cruise ship injury.
Common Cruise Ship Injuries in Florida
Many cruises weigh anchor from Florida, heading to the Caribbean or out into the Atlantic Ocean. Most accidents people suffer on land or at sea are, thankfully, more minor accidents, such as sprained ankles and cuts. However, severe injuries, such as head trauma and spinal cord injuries, do occasionally occur.
In either case, if the cruise ship and its staff were responsible for your injuries, you could take them to court and sue the cruise ship for monetary damages.
Some of the most common cruise ship injuries include, but are not limited to:
- Neck, back, and shoulder injuries
- Spinal injuries, including partial and total paralysis
- Amputations
- Traumatic brain injury and other brain injuries
- Broken or crushed bones
- Internal bleeding and organ damage
- Serious burns, disfigurement, and scarring
- Illnesses such as food poisoning and bacterial illnesses
- Injuries caused by partial drowning or death by drowning
- Severe emotional trauma
What Are the Common Causes of Cruise Ship Injuries?
Cruise ship travel is a popular way to explore the world and enjoy luxurious amenities at sea. However, just like any other form of transportation, cruise ships are not immune to accidents and injuries.
Before embarking on your trip, you should understand the common causes of cruise ship injuries. These causes can range from slip and falls on wet or uneven surfaces to more serious incidents like fires or collisions. Understanding the potential risks can help you and your loved ones take preventative measures and be better prepared if you get hurt.
Slip and Fall Accidents
It makes sense that a ship’s deck would get wet. After all, it is in in the middle of the ocean. However, most decks are far above the water’s surface and would not typically become wet from water splashing on the deck. How do they get wet?
Many cruise ships have swimming pools or other waterpark rides splashing water on the deck and other surfaces. In addition, waiters and guests can spill drinks, and cleaning staff could fail to warn when they’re mopping.
If spills or other hazards cause you to slip and fall or trip and fall, you could face surprisingly severe injuries. If you hit your head on a bulkhead, object, or deck, you could face serious brain trauma. Other injuries, like broken bones or back injuries, are common in slip and fall cases.
Swimming Pool Accidents
Aside from slipping on wet surfaces near the pool, many cruise ship guests suffer other injuries from swimming pools. Children and other guests may track water surprisingly far, and you could slip on wet surfaces in surprising areas. In addition, you can also face near-drowning injuries, head trauma, and other injuries in the pool itself. If there are water slides or diving boards, you could face serious cruise ship injuries if you crash into another swimmer.
Crime Victimization Injuries
These kinds of crime and assault injuries can hardly be called “accidents.” When people are in close quarters for a prolonged period, such as on a cruise, tensions can run high. This can lead to guests or staff becoming the victims of assault. Additionally, there is an unfortunate number of reports each year of guests and staff being sexually assaulted by guests or other staff members. These kinds of criminal attacks can cause serious injuries that lead to lawsuits.
Work Accidents
Many staff members on cruise ships are injured each year in workplace injuries. For a cook, waiter, crewmember, or entertainer on a cruise ship, the ship is their workplace. Even if they spend every night on the ship, they might still be “on duty” at various times, and it may be considered an on-the-job injury if they are hurt on a cruise ship. Training with lifeboats, kitchen accidents, accidents on stage, fires, electrocution from faulty wiring, and other issues could all cause serious injuries for cruise ship workers.
Injuries from Poor Medical Care
Cruise ships are not expected to have state-of-the-art medical facilities that can care for any condition, but they are expected to provide reasonable assistance if a staff member or guest faces injury or illness while on board. At the least, it is expected that cruise ships have medical staff who can diagnose and treat medical conditions. If there is a serious issue, these professionals should be able to call for medical evacuation by helicopter or a faster ship to get the patient to a hospital.
You can often file a cruise ship lawsuit if your preexisting condition is made worse because ship staff failed to get you to help or if an accident injury worsens because you received negligent medical care on the cruise ship. In some cases, poor responses from medical staff could even lead to death.
Illness
It is common for people to get seasick or have other motion sickness issues on ships, but other illnesses occur due to negligence from ship staff. Food poisoning can be a problem, as can sickness from waterborne bacteria in the ship’s water supply or ice. Additionally, if the crew fails to quarantine guests who become sick during the cruise, the illness could spread to other passengers, potentially putting them at risk for health complications.
How Can a Cruise Ship Injury Lawyer Help?
If you suffer an injury on a cruise ship, you need a maritime injury lawyer with experience handling cruise ship cases on your side. Cruise ship accidents and injuries are complex and different from other types of personal injury cases.
One of the unique problems cruise ship passengers face when seeking compensation from cruise lines is the issue of jurisdiction. Cruise ships are often registered in foreign countries, and their passengers come from all over the world. This can make it challenging to determine which country’s laws apply in the case of an accident or injury on board. A skilled maritime injury lawyer can help you navigate these legal complexities and determine your case’s best course of action.
Another challenge cruise ship passengers face is the limited amount of time they have to file a claim. Most cruise lines have a short window in which passengers can file a compensation claim, typically within six months to a year of the incident. This can be particularly challenging for passengers who have suffered serious injuries and may be focused on their recovery. A cruise ship injury lawyer can help ensure that you meet all the necessary deadlines and that your claim is filed correctly and on time.
Cruise ship passengers may face obstacles when collecting evidence to support their claims. For example, if you were injured due to a slippery deck or faulty equipment, the cruise line may try to clean up or repair the area before you have a chance to take photos or gather other evidence. A personal injury lawyer can work with investigators and other experts to gather evidence and build a strong case on your behalf.
Unfortunately, one of the biggest hurdles accident victims face is negotiating a fair settlement with the cruise line. Cruise lines often have teams of lawyers and other professionals on their side, and they may be reluctant to offer fair compensation to injured passengers. An experienced cruise ship lawyer can help level the playing field and negotiate a settlement that fully compensates you for your injuries and other losses.
Cruise Ship Injury Attorney Offering Free Consultations
If you or a loved one was injured on a cruise ship in any type of accident or because you were the victim of crime, negligent supervision, or poor medical care on a cruise ship, talk to an attorney today. Prosper Shaked offers free consultations to help injury victims understand the average cruise ship injury settlement and what their case is worth. To schedule a free consultation on your case, contact Prosper Shaked Accident Injury Attorneys PA today at (305) 694-2676.