One of the first questions a personal injury cruise ship lawyer will ask you is, “why do you think the cruise line was to blame for your injury?”
This is important because sometimes, accidents are just accidents and are not the fault of the cruise line or its crew.
However, quite often, the accident or injury is the direct result of a something the cruise line ‘did’ or ‘did not’ do.
For example — if the crew ‘did not’ address a known issue (like repairing a broken handrail on a staircase) this may be grounds for a viable lawsuit. If a crew member ‘did’ enter a passenger’s cabin and sexually assaulted a teenager, there would likely be grounds for a lawsuit.
Getting to Why…
This is where the lawyer you speak with can help you determine if you have a valid claim for suing the cruise line for help with your injuries.
They’ll ask a lot of questions so they can help determine what really happened and why. They’ll ask for pictures if possible. They’ll ask if there were witnesses. They’ll ask for a copy of an injury report by the cruise line if one was made.
The attorney will want to create a very clear picture of ‘what happened’ so they can advise on whether to move forward — and if moving forward with an injury claim against the cruise line — how best to proceed.
And yes, cruise ship lawsuits can involve not just the cruise lines and their employees, but tour operation companies and their employees — boats, buses, taxis, parasailing, etc. You’ll want a thoroughly experienced shore excursion injury lawyer on your side for these cases which are even more difficult to successfully manage and win.
Waks and Barnett, P.A. | Admiralty and Maritime Law
Waks & Barnett attorneys practice in the areas of personal injury and wrongful death, with a focus on Cruise Ship Injury and Accidents, Admiralty and Maritime cases. For more information, please call our office in Miami — our number is 1-800-905-2891. All initial consultations are free of charge.
Unfortunately, excursion accidents like this are not uncommon, with many leading to personal injury and wrongful death suits filed against the cruise lines. Waks and Barnett, P.A. has successfully handled many of these cases over the past 25 years.