Planning a cruise vacation can be fun and exciting. Millions of people around the world buy a cruise ship ticket on a yearly basis. Billions of dollars are spent by these same passengers. You've got dancing, alcohol, fine dining, late night parties, gambling, island site seeing tours, beautiful islands with sandy beaches and so much more! Unfortunately, as recent FBI crime statistics and headline news show, cruising is increasingly becoming a little more dangerous than previously thought. To many people's surprise, the cruise line industry is self regulated and with little oversight. Being a passenger on a yacht or privately owned vessel is no different.
Many of these accidents and injuries are caused by negligent security, incompetent crew members, poorly trained crew personnel, dangerous premises conditions, unsanitary conditions, human error, malfunctioning equipment, inadequate safety precautions and countless other negligent acts.
When injuries do happen, passengers may not receive proper medical care on the ship due to inadequate medical staff or facilities. Many times, injured passengers are dumped at the next port of call in hopes of receiving required medical care at a local hospital. Many times, these local hospitals have untrained medical staff and inadequate medical equipment which may aggravate the injuries.
Unfortunately, the time frame an injured passenger or loved one of a wrongful death victim has to act to file a claim is short. The statue of limitations to file suit is only one year. Therefore, time is of the essence.
Furthermore, many cruise lines require that any lawsuit be brought in either federal or state court in Miami, Florida only. Please check the back of your cruise line ticket for further information regarding this requirement.
Common causes of cruise ship injuries include:
- Cabin Break Ins
- Rape by Crew Members
- Rape by other Passengers
- Sexual Assaults
- Assault and Battery
- Robberies
- Mysterious Disappearances
- Fallen Over Board Accidents
- Man Over Board
- Food Poisonings
- Poor Sanitation
- Food Borne Illnesses
- Diseases
- Slip and Falls
- Trip and Falls
- Swimming Pool Accidents
- Water Slide Accidents
- Sauna and Spa Accidents
- Adverse Weather Accidents
- Adverse Water Conditions
- Fire Accidents
- Ship Collision Accidents
- Ship Driver Error
- Boarding Accidents
- De-boarding Accidents
- Negligent Security
- Unsafe Premises
- Cruise Line Approved Off Shore Excursions Accidents
- Island Day Trips
- Boating Accidents
- Sailing Accidents
- Diving Accidents
- Parasailing Accidents
- Site Seeing Tour Accidents
Some of the most common and largest cruise line companies include:
- Royal Caribbean Cruises
- Carnival Cruise Lines
- Princess Cruise Lines
- Celebrity Cruises
- Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL)
- Disney Cruise Line
- Holland America Cruise Line
- Oceania Cruises
