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Hurt on a cruise ship?
What You Should Do After A Cruise Ship Accident
It’s unfortunate, but accidents and injuries happen every day on Carnival Cruise Ships. Our office receives calls and emails on a weekly basis from passengers who have been seriously hurt on their Carnival cruise vacation and need to speak with an experienced attorney about their legal options.
If you’ve suffered a personal injury while sailing with Carnival and believe that your injury was sustained due to the negligence of the crew, the cruise line or even a fellow passenger, you may have a potential claim and can sue the Carnival Cruise Corporation. Get your free case review today.
Is Carnival Cruise liable for Your Injuries?
We Can Help You Sue Carnival Cruise Line and Get Compensation For:
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.
Tips on Filing an Injury Claim
If you’ve been injured on a cruise ship, there are certain actions you’ll want to take.
Your goal should be both to protect yourself and your health immediately following the accident. You also want to protect your rights and your ability to file a lawsuit – this often means acting immediately as well.
Working with the Carnival Corporation to file an injury claim can be a complicated and frustrating process, especially when you try to do it alone. The best results generally come when an injured passenger hires a lawyer to help with their case. Because we’ve been handling cruise injury cases for so long, we know exactly which steps to take in order to properly and efficiently handle your claim. Our deep understanding of the law, the courts and the cruise lines means better results for you. We will thoroughly review your potential case, investigate the facts surrounding your accident and create a plan of action for pursuing the appropriate compensation for your injuries.
If you’ve been injured on a Carnival Cruise vacation — or any other cruise, 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.
Seek Immediate Help
First and foremost is to seek help immediately for your injury. The quicker you can get first aid or have the ship’s doctor evaluate your injury, the more likely you are to receive the proper and accurate treatment needed to minimize further damage and pain. Take note of the circumstances surrounding your injury When we talk with victims of cruise ship accidents, it’s the details that are important. The circumstances surrounding your injury will help us understand if you have a potential case against the cruise line.Take Notes Regarding the Circumstances of Your Injury
When we talk with victims of cruise ship accidents, it’s the details that are important. The circumstances surrounding your injury will help us understand if you have a potential case against the cruise line.Get Contact Information
Write down the contact information of anyone involved in the accident or anyone who was a witness to the incident. This is not easy to do, but the information can be extremely helpful. Collect names, telephone numbers and emails of these passengers or crew members.Take Photographs of the Scene of Your Injury
This will give our attorneys a frame of reference when researching the case and may offer clues to why the accident occurred (even if the scene has changed for some reason). A visual image of the scene may also help you recall specific details.Get a Written Report of the Incident
A written report of the accident should be filed with the cruise ship. It’s also important that you get a copy of that report. This incident report will be extremely helpful to a lawyer evaluating your case.Contact an Attorney While Still on the Boat
If possible, contact a cruise ship attorney while you are still onboard the cruise ship. They may be able to offer helpful information about specific steps you can take while on the boat.Contact an Attorney When You Arrive Back Home
Most people don’t know an attorney who specializes in cruise ship injuries and accidents. If this is the case, contact your local attorney and they can help you find a lawyer experienced in cruise ship accident cases.
You’ll most likely need to contact a Florida based cruise injury attorney, though this will be dependent upon the location of the cruise line corporate headquarters and the travel agreement you signed when booking the cruise.
Starting this process immediately is important as lawsuits against the cruise lines will need to be filed within a fixed time frame after the accident occurred.
Our Experience Benefits You
Cruise injury law is a specialty within maritime and admiralty law – and is an area of the law that most attorneys are not familiar with. Our attorneys have over 70+ years of combined experience successfully representing hundreds of injured Carnival cruise ship passengers from around the world.
We know:
The Miami and Florida court systems
The litigation tactics of the cruise lines
The special requirements and limitations of maritime law
How to deal with insurance companies
Decades of Experience
Andrew Waks and Joel Barnett have over 70 years of combined maritime law and cruise ship injury claim experience, bringing proven success to each and every lawsuit we manage.
Complete Representation
From the first phone call until the case is complete, you can expect our lawyers and support staff will be working hard to get you the financial compensation you deserve.
Proven Success for Clients
We know that hurt passengers want to hire cruise ship injury lawyers who win. For more than 35 years, we’ve fought hard, recovering over $100 million dollars on behalf our clients.
Contact the attorneys at Waks and Barnett
At Waks and Barnett, P.A. we are experienced cruise ship injury attorneys. Our firm works hard to help victims of cruise ship and other boating related accidents to file lawsuits if appropriate and obtain compensation for their injuries. We’re here to help you. Contact us at 1-305-271-8282.
Questions about your legal rights?
Taking a cruise is most often a fun and enjoyable experience. You get to relax, participate in the ship’s activities and visit places you may have never had the opportunity to visit previously.
For thousands of people every week, the cruise vacation is enjoyable. Unfortunately though, dozens of injuries also occur each week. Some of these are minor mishaps, some of them are major accidents where someone has sustained severe or life changing injuries.
If you’ve been injured in a cruise ship accident or have become terribly sick, you may have questions about your legal rights.
Considering a legal claim for your injuries?
Here is some helpful information to think about when considering a legal claim.
Cruise lines are supposed to operate under very strict maritime laws to provide a safe experience for their passengers and crew. They are required to abide by international safety standards out at sea at all times. When rules and regulations are broken or not paid attention to, accidents can occur and injuries can result from those accidents.
Those that are involved in an accident while on the cruise can be traumatized. Common types of accidents that happen on cruise ships are broken legs and arms, food poisoning, medical negligence, fires, physical assault, sexual assault and other accidents.
Any passenger that is involved in any type of accident, suffers an injury and can prove negligence is able to file a claim against the cruise line.
It’s up to an attorney to help you identify the merit and potential success of your case.
Injured on a cruise ship – do you have a case?
Often, injured passengers are uncertain about their rights. They’re confused, frustrated and unsure of how they might proceed with filing a claim.
Do they have grounds for a claim?
Who do they speak with?
What’s the first step?
There literally are dozens of questions that could be asked…
What can a cruise ship accident attorney do for you?
The attorneys at Waks and Barnett will help you determine if you have a case. As part of a free consultation in the office or over the phone, we will ask you a series of questions to determine if your case has merit.
Some of those questions would include:
When and where did the accident occur?
What injuries did you receive?
How did the injury occur?
Do you believe someone else was at fault?
What do you believe caused the accident to occur?
Were there witnesses?
What did the cruise line do?
Do you have photos?
Tell me about your medical bills?
What is the most important question a cruise ship lawyer will ask you?
Well…there is no one single question that’s more important than others. It’s really about a series of questions.
To fully understand your potential claim and help you establish a case against a cruise line, a cruise ship injury lawyer will ask a series of questions, each one building on the others, until the attorney can create a clear picture of what happened to you on your cruise that caused your injury.
Filing a claim in a court of law requires that the claim meet certain standards. Does the attorney believe that your claim has merit AND is it viable to withstand the rigors of the legal system? A good, experienced lawyer can help you determine that.
Understanding the circumstances surrounding your injury will allow the lawyers at Waks and Barnett to help you determine if you have a case. We will review your potential case thoroughly – and walk you through the process of filing a claim if needed.
Contact the attorneys at Waks and Barnett
At Waks and Barnett, P.A. we are experienced cruise ship injury attorneys. Our firm works hard to help victims of cruise ship related accidents to file lawsuits if appropriate and obtain compensation for their injuries.
*Each and every claim against a cruise line is different and dependent on specific circumstance. The information on this page is meant to be used as a general information guide only. Please contact an attorney for questions and answers related to your specific claim.
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frequently asked questions
Thank your for considering our law firm. We’re here to help you and can answer any questions you may have.
Can I sue a cruise line?
Yes. Assuming you have a legitimate reason for suing, you can file a claim against a cruise line. An experienced attorney can help you evaluate your claim.
When do I need to file a claim against a cruise line?
Keep in mind that passenger rights and legal remedies are dictated by the individual cruise lines. This information is outlined in your ticket of passage. It contains provisions regarding when, where and how potential claims must be litigated. Most cruise lines require that a case be filed within 1 year from the date of the accident.
Are cruise lines liable for your injuries?
Cruise lines – the companies that operate the cruise ships and employ the crew of the vessel – can be liable for an injury or illness if it can be proven that their negligence played a role in your injury.
If a deck was freshly washed and no sign was posted to warn passengers of a slippery and potentially dangerous floor, then a possible claim might be had.
If food preparation did not meet standards and passengers became seriously sick from Norovirus and had extenuating medical complications, then a possible claim might be had.
If crew members or other passengers sexual harassed or violated you or someone in your family, you may have grounds for a lawsuit.
How to get help determining negligence?
There are literally hundreds of scenarios where a cruise line might be liable because of their negligence of care. If passengers suffer, the first place a passenger and their cruise ship injury lawyer will turn is to the cruise line.
If a case has merit, an experienced cruise attorney will follow procedures to file a claim. They will then work to prove that the cruise line was ‘at fault’ and liable for compensation to the injured passenger.
If you have questions about your rights or ability to file a suit against a cruise line for a personal injury, you should speak with a cruise lawyer. We can help you understand the direction you need to take with the legal process of filing a claim.