Crewmembers Can sue their cruise line employers

Help for Injured Cruise Ship Crewmembers and Employees

Thousands of crew members work on hundreds of cruise ships around the world. They provide a myriad of valuable services that allow the cruise lines to operate efficiently and help allow passengers to enjoy the experience of cruising. Unfortunately, these workers are also subject to many hazards in the line of duty – and quite often, injuries can occur. Line cooks get burned in the kitchens. Engine room crew are exposed to dangerous working conditions. Cabin crew get herniated disks and shoulder injuries.

If you’ve been injured while working on a cruise ship, you may have questions about what to next. As cruise injury attorneys, we’ve help numerous crew members get compensation for their injures. If you are an injured crew member and have legal questions, please contact Waks and Barnett to speak with an attorney about your potential claim. We have over 35 years of cruise ship law experience.

Were you injured on a cruise?

We Can Help You Sue The Cruise Lines and Get Compensation For:

Injury and illness
Hospital and doctor bills
Lost pay and wages
Pain and suffering
Loss of future earnings
Long-term or lifelong disability

Call today for a free injury claim assessment at 1-305-271-8282.

Crewmembers Do Have Legal Rights

As a cruise ship crew member – if you’ve suffered a debilitating injury or sickness while working – you are covered under the Jones Act .

The main purpose of the Jones Act is to aid seamen injured in the line of duty. Depending on your individual circumstances that means you might be elegible for lost wages, help with medical bills, help with room and lodging costs and other benefits.

It could also mean help with future wages, future medical bills and compensations for pain and suffering. These benefits may extend to your family as well.

It is important to remember that, as an employee of a cruise ship, you do have legal rights and protection under the law.

determining responsibility is our job

Are the cruise lines responsible for your injuries?

When crewmembers are involved in accidents while working, the accidents can potentially lead to severe injuries and missed time at work.

Some injuries may have long term or life altering consequences. It’s our job to help you understand what your rights are as a crewmember and how you should proceed with filing an injury claim against the cruise line if there are sufficient reasons for a lawsuit.

Common Questions From Injured Cruise Ship Crewmembers:

If I’ve been hired to work on a vessel, do I have any right to be compensated if I suffer an injury or illness?

Yes, but your rights depend upon what you were hired to do, and whether there was any negligence or unseaworthiness involved. To qualify as a crewmember, it is not necessary to be directly involved in a vessel’s movement from place-to-place, so long as your work contributes to the accomplishment of the vessel’s overall mission. For example, processors on factory trawlers or on fish-processing ships, and food-service workers and card dealers on passenger vessels are all crewmembers. Even marine construction workers on special crafts such as dredges may qualify.

If I am a crewmember and there is no negligence or unseaworthiness involved, what are my rights?

You are entitled to maintenance (a daily allowance to help support you), cure (your medical expenses), and wages (a continuation of your pay, at least for a brief interval, and perhaps longer, depending on the terms of your employment agreement).

Under what circumstances must the above benefits be paid?

Whenever a crewmember becomes injured or ill while still in the service of the vessel. The injury or illness need not be caused by the crewmember’s work. Even a crew member who suffers an injury or illness while on authorized shore leave may be entitled to these benefits, so long as he or she is “on call” and bound to resume the performance of duties upon command.

If there is negligence or unseaworthiness, are there additional benefits?

Yes. Under Maritime law, if a crewmember’s injury or illness has been caused even to the slightest degree by negligence, the individual may recover damages in addition to the basic benefits outlined above. Under Maritime law, unseaworthiness does not refer to vessels which are just about to sink, but is rather a very broad term, including any defect or deficiency in a vessel, equipment, supervision or personnel. Under these circumstances, if injured due to either negligence or unseaworthiness of the vessel, a crewmember may collect damages for out of pocket losses, past and future medical expenses, lost income, loss of earning capacity, as well as damages for past and future pain and suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life.

Do you have questions about your injury?

Please contact us to speak with an attorney about your potential claim.
Please call us at this toll-free number: 1-305-271-8282.

EXPERIENCE YOU NEED. RESULTS YOU WANT.

about The Firm

At Waks and Barnett, P.A., we make it a point to devote our full attention and resources to each of our clients. That begins with the first phone call and carries through until your case is resolved. This is the approach we’ve taken for over 35 years and across thousands of personal injury cases.

Our clients, who are often the victims of terrible accidents or utter negligence by the cruise lines, benefit from our dedication to their cases and the compassion and understanding we provide to them.

With our meticulous approach to casework and extensive experience dealing with personal injury claims – especially as it relates to maritime and cruise injury law – we can help you resolve your case in the most effective manner possible.

What Can You Expect From Our Cruise Ship Attorneys?

If you’ve been injured on a cruise vacation you want someone to fight for you against the cruise line attorneys, the insurance companies and other parties.

That is what we do for you – that is what you can expect from our firm and our attorneys. And while we can not guarantee results in the courtroom – no attorney can – we do guarantee that we will work diligently to achieve the best possible result for you.

We will thoroughly review your potential case, investigate the facts surrounding your accident and create a plan of action for pursuing compensation for your injuries.

If you choose to have us represent you, we’ll send a retainer package. From there, we’ll represent you and work toward resolution, either through a settlement with the cruise line or through a decision made by the court.

Remember, there is no fee charged to you for our services. We work on a ‘contingency fee‘ basis which means there is no charge for our services unless you receive compensation from the cruise line.

Our clients need help! It’s why they turn to us investigate their injury claims and file lawsuits on their behalf against the cruise lines for slip and fall accidents, swimming pool accidents, cases of medical negligence, rape and sexual assault and crew member injury claims.

If you or your family have questions about a cruise injury, accident or medical issue, please call us at this number, 1-305-271-8282.

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