What To Expect If Someone Is Injured During An Excursion Off The Ship?

In this article, you will learn:

• How the location of the injury can impact your claim
• How experienced legal counsel can assist in your case
• How waivers impact cruise ship injuries

If it’s an excursion booked through the cruise line that might be something different. So, generally, if you’re just deboarding the cruise line at a different port, and you’re going off and doing your own thing, then it’s less likely to be a case against a cruise line unless it’s something directly related to the cruise. So, if there is some type of accident or issue that happens, on or off the cruise line, of course, we always suggest talking to an attorney who knows the laws surrounding these issues so they can help give you an educated opinion as to whether or not you have a case, or whether the case would be against a cruise line or somebody else.

The Importance Of Retaining Legal Counsel That Is Experienced In Cruise Ship Injury Cases

It’s not state law, it’s not federal law; it’s a combination. It’s maritime law, which is a combination of the two. So it’s not your run-of-the-mill car accident case. If you are somebody who’s been injured on or off a cruise while you were cruising, you have to have an experienced attorney in these types of cases, because if they don’t, then it could end up poorly for the passenger because they may blow a deadline. It’s not the four-year statute, and the attorney may think it is because he or she doesn’t know better. So, it could create a sticky situation for the injured passenger. It is important to ask an attorney how many cruise cases they’ve handled.

Cruise cases are similar to trucking cases in the sense that there’s portions of federal statutes that come into play that govern specific requirements . So, you want to know if the attorney that you’re going to hire will work well with you, and that they have the knowledge that you don’t have to make sure that you can proceed with your case and you get the best outcome.

The Impact On Your Personal Injury Claim If Injured On A Cruise In International Waters

The short of it is as long as you’re on the vessel, it’s not going to make a huge difference whether you’re in international waters or whether you’re still technically stateside. As long as we are talking about the time that you’re actually on the vessel, it’s going to fall under the Maritime laws.

Signing Waivers Before Going On A Cruise Ship

I don’t think that a full waiver would stand up. Like I said, Carnival and other cruise lines have variations of waivers. They have their specific contract passenger tickets that have an agreement. An agreement isn’t a waiver, but it is tighter deadlines. So for example, if you’re injured on a cruise, the best protocol is obviously to notify staff members while you’re on the cruise because cruises are fitted with everything. They have emergency room with doctors on call 24/7. So, if you are injured, you should immediately report it, and if you need to seek medical treatment, you can seek medical treatment on the actual cruise. That’s not an issue. They are required to keep records of any time that you see a doctor or you report to the clinic.

They are usually pretty good about giving those documents when requested after you’ve notified them of the claim, and you have two important points of notification. The first time is when injury occurs by notifying the staff on the ship, and then the second notification would be once you’ve consulted and hired an attorney. They’re going to formally put the cruise ship on notice for the injury and that you are seeking a claim for damages against them. But it is important to do both, because if you don’t do one or the other, it could have very harsh consequences for a potential claim.

For more information on Getting Injured On A Cruise Ship Excursion, an initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (954) 379-8030 | (786) 785-2555 today.