Injured on a Cruise Ship?

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1 Injured on a Cruise Ship? Follow these steps - a helpful guide from Waks and Barnett, P.A. - Cruise Ship Injury Attorneys 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. 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 our 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. 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 s of these passengers or crew members.

2 Take photographs of the scene and 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. 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 a cruise ship injury attorney If possible, contact a cruise ship attorney while you are still on board the cruise ship. They may be able to offer helpful information about specific steps you can take while on the boat. Once you are back home, contact an attorney. 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 attorney, those this will be dependent upon 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. 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. If your or someone you know was injured or became sick while on a cruise vacation, call us today to schedule a consultation. We're here to help you. Contact us at 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.

3 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. 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. It 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.

4 Please contact Waks and Barnett, Miami based cruise ship injury attorneys at (800) or online at 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. Here is some help 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 food poisoning, fires, assault, and accidents arising from unforeseen storms. Any passenger that is involved in any type of accident on the cruise ship 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. How to File a Lawsuit Against a Cruise Line If you want to file suit against a cruise line, you would need to talk to a Maritime lawyer. A Maritime lawyer is someone who practices in the area known as maritime law. This type of law applies to suits that involve injuries and accidents that occurred on the waterways of the U.S., the Gulf of Mexico, or at sea. Maritime lawyers work best to file suits against cruise lines. They will help you to seek compensation for your physical or emotional injuries. The suit will also give the cruise line a chance to evaluate their operations to see if there is anything that they can improve on so that the incident won t easily happen again in the future to other passengers.

5 Most cruise lines will offer full refunds on the cruise as well as other incentives to satisfy a suit. Keep in mind that the suit should be filed within six months of the incident. 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 grounds for a claim? Who do they speak with? What's the first step? There literally are dozens of questions that could be asked... The attorney's 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...

6 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. To contact us by phone, please call Or contact us through our online form - Do I Have A Case?

7 Contact the attorneys at Waks and Barnett, P.A. 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. For more information about your legal rights, please contact us for a FREE and CONFIDENTIAL CONSULTATION. *Each and every claim against a cruise line is different and dependent on specific circumstance. The information enclosed in this PDF is meant to be used as a general information guide only. Please contact an attorney for questions and answers related to your specific claim. For more information, please visit: About Our Firm: Our Attorneys: Our Settlements and Verdicts Page: Do I Have A Case? Waks and Barnett, P.A [email protected] 9900 Southwest 107th Ave, Suite 101, Miami, FL USA