Many law firms — whether or not they specialize in cruise ship injury accidents or another area of the law — will offer free consultations.
Our firm offers free consultations because we want to make it as easy as possible for injured passengers to tell their side of the story.
It’s unfortunate, but the events and circumstances surrounding an injury can be overwhelming and confusing. What may have started out as a relaxing cruise vacation may have very quickly turned into a terrible sequence of events for which you and your family were not prepared.
An accident on a cruise ship may have resulted in a physical injury. It may have been followed by poor or substandard treatment by the cruise ship’s medical staff.
And once you returned home, you may have been facing hospital and doctor treatment as well as rehabilitation and recovery. This may have impacted your quality of life and your ability to work. And importantly, it may have left with medical expenses and lost salary.
So yes, it is quite normal to have questions about “why this happened” and what your legal rights are.
And while friends and family members can offer helpful advice, it’s important to speak with an experienced attorney who can answer your questions and provide the legal counsel needed to determine if you have reason to file a claim.
If you have questions about your injury, it’s important to get answers from a knowledgeable attorney
These consultations are generally the first “real conversation” that is had between the attorney and a prospective client (although the person inquiring about legal help may have initially reached out by email or submitting a website contact form).
They may have also called the law firm and spoken to a staff member who was not an attorney and scheduled a time to speak with one.
When a prospective client reaches out to our firm through an email or through our contact form, they may provide a lot of detailed information about their injury and what happened. They may also give a very short description of their accident.
In an attempt to streamline the process, however, our firm may email back with specific questions that help to clarify details.
Sometimes, a potential client can be advised relatively quickly as to whether they have a viable claim against the cruise line…or not.
The cruise lines make it very difficult to file an injury claim — our goal is to take that responsibility from injured passenger so they can focus on healing from their injuries while we handle their legal issues.
It’s important to note that it does not matter how much detail is provided. If a person who believes they were hurt on a cruise ship wants to speak to an attorney about the accident and their legal rights, our lawyers will respond and work toward scheduling a consultation.
Generally, the process for finding and hiring (or retaining) a cruise ship injury lawyer will follow this progression…
1) The passenger is injured while on a cruise vacation
2) Once home from their trip, they will focus on continuing medical care
3) Eventually, they will seek out the opinion of family and friends regarding their legal rights
4) They will then begin searching for legal services from local lawyers or begin online Internet searches
5) Then will then reach out to law firms through email, by filling out information on a contact form or calling the law firm directly
6) From there, a consultation can be scheduled
An online search for “cruise ship lawyer” or “sue Carnival Cruise” will return multiple law firms. The passenger will review websites, searching for one that fits – where the lawyers of the firm seem knowledgeable and able to get results. It’s important to understand too that a passenger may choose a law firm for many reasons, but the most important one is that they believe is that the firm they are calling is bested suited to help them.
This whole process may happen immediately – while the passenger is still on the cruise ship in some cases. Or it may happen days, weeks or months later as it becomes apparent to the passenger that “perhaps the accident was not my fault and the cruise line was negligent in some way.”
Why do we offer free consultations?
We offer them because we know that if we can get an injured cruise ship passenger — or their family member — to tell their side of the story it can be empowering to them.
It’s extremely important to remember that most people who have been injured on a cruise ship are confused about the accident — and confused about their rights to be compensated by the cruise lines for their injuries, medical bills, missed time at work and more.
They want to know why it happened to them and why they’re now having to deal not only with the pain and anguish of the injuries themselves, but also the hassles of dealing with the cruise line, doctors, insurance companies and lawyers. They need someone who is on their side.
Most people who are injured are not lawyers. They don’t have a real sense of how the legal systems works or what the processes are for filing a lawsuit against a cruise line.
That can be very intimidating and scary. And that’s what the cruise lines rely on. The rely on injured passengers being confused and uneducated about their legal rights and that this confusion will inhibit or stop the passenger from filing a claim.
What we’ve found is that many hurt passengers might not ever speak to a lawyer without a free consultation. And that’s just not right!
What happens during a consultation?
There are no silly questions. The reality is that passengers who were involved in cruise ship accidents have dozens of real questions that need real answers from someone who knows. We’re here to help whether you have a case or not.
Getting legitimate legal information is important – and it’s your right. Your health and financial well-being may rely on your ability to get the answers you need.
The attorneys you speak with will ask you to describe what happened. Who was involved. Where did it happen. Why you believe the cruise line was at fault. The attorney should also ask questions along the way that clarify details or help them better visualize what happened. They’ll also ask if you have reports from the cruise line or medical reports from your doctor — any written or visual documentation that may also help to explain your case.
And certainly, you’re able to ask questions as well.
At the end of the meeting you are free to decide that you do not want to hire the lawyer and, likewise, the lawyer may decide that he or she cannot help you with your problem.
Does the mean you’re hiring the lawyer?
No. Just because you consulted with a lawyer it does not mean you are obligated to hire the lawyer.
Is what we discussed kept private?
Yes. Your discussion is private, whether you decide to retain the attorney or not.
What happens after the consultation?
If you decide you want to hire the attorney to represent you, a retainer package will be sent to you with documents to sign and return.
Questions for a cruise injury lawyer?
Feel free contact our Miami office, toll-free at 1-800-905-2891. Or fill out the contact form at the right hand side of this page.