If you sustained an injury on a Crystal cruise liner due to someone else’s negligence, contact Louis A. Vucci P.A. right away. You might be entitled to compensation for your lost wages, medical bills, and other expenses.

Although a cruise is supposed to be fun, accidents can leave passengers injured or worse. According to a report from research firm G.P. Wild, approximately 60 people sustain injuries and ten people die annually on cruises because of operational incidents. These incidents include scenarios like collisions, grounding, explosions, fires, and sinking.

Louis A. Vucci P.A. is dedicated to fighting for injured clients’ rights. We believe in standing up to cruise liners, their employees, and other parties potentially responsible for harming passengers. Call Louis A. Vucci P.A. or contact us online for a free, confidential consultation with an experienced Crystal cruise ship injury lawyer.

Booking a cruise is exciting. You’re ready to take time off from school, work, and other daily responsibilities for a much-needed vacation. However, the adventure can sometimes lead to severe injuries and even fatalities. If you were hurt, you might feel overwhelmed at the thought of getting involved in a lawsuit. You might not know who you can hold liable for your injuries.

That’s where Louis A. Vucci P.A. can step in and take over. We are familiar with cruise ship accidents and have experience seeking compensation and justice for our clients. When you hire us, we can handle the following:

• Investigating the incident to establish who was at fault for the accident that caused your injuries
• Consulting industry experts to support the allegations against the liable party
• Obtaining witness statements, accident scene photos, and other evidence to prove what happened
• Filing a lawsuit
• Representing you during every stage of litigation

There are a number of ways passengers can get injured on cruise ships. While cruise ships are fun, they require a lot of maintenance to keep them safe.

The most common causes of injuries aboard cruise ships include:

• Slip and fall accidents – Slip and falls can occur anywhere. On a cruise ship, they might happen if a passenger encounters a wet floor, defective staircase, or walkway obstruction. Twisted ankles, broken bones, and concussions are common when someone falls on a hard surface. On a cruise ship, walkways tend to get slippery, and ship employees must keep the walkways safe.
• Swimming pool accidents – The same dangers that exist in and near pools at homes and businesses also exist on cruise liners. Falling, drowning, and other incidents might occur if employees don’t maintain the area.
• Food poisoning – If cooks and waitstaff mishandle the food they serve to passengers, contamination can occur, leading to food poisoning and food-borne illnesses.
• Elevator accidents – Elevators require routine maintenance to function correctly. A defective or damaged part can cause it to malfunction and injure the occupants.
• Fires – Fires on cruise ships might seem unlikely. However, multiple sources can spark a fire, such as exposed electrical wiring, improperly stored flammable chemicals, and engine damage.
• Recreational activities – Cruises offer endless activities to keep passengers busy while onboard. Defective equipment, inadequate maintenance, and other issues can lead to injuries during these activities.
• Vessel collisions – Colliding cruise ships might seem uncommon, given their massive sizes. However, an inattentive operator can crash into the dock, land, or another water vessel.
• Drowning – Sometimes, drowning incidents are no one’s fault. Other times, a passenger might fall overboard if a maintenance worker doesn’t repair a loose railing on the deck. Someone can drown after slipping on a slippery surface and hitting their head during a fall.
• Grounding – A cruise ship runs aground when the bottom contacts the seabed. It can happen while encountering a sandbar or bringing the ship in for docking. The sudden impact can cause passengers to fall overboard, down the stairs, or on deck.
• Assault – Anyone can be the victim of a crime in any situation. On cruises, crimes typically involve theft and assault. Assault can lead to severe injuries and psychological trauma.

Cruise ship injuries often range from minor to life-threatening. It depends on the type of accident. The most common injuries include:

• Illness from food poisoning
• Internal bleeding
• Burn injuries
• Drowning
• Twisted or sprained ankles
• Lacerations
• Traumatic brain injury
• Infections
• Emotional trauma
• Broken bones
• Dislocated joints
• Pulled or sprained muscles
• Back and neck injuries
• Electric shock
• Spinal cord injuries

Determining liability after an accident on a cruise ship can be challenging. Multiple parties might be at fault, for example, the ship owners, medical staff, other employees, other passengers, and the cruise line itself. Holding someone liable for an injury requires a thorough investigation and substantial evidence of who was at fault in the accident.

As its passenger, the cruise line must take reasonable steps to keep you safe while you’re on board their ship. Their failure to do so is negligent. Negligence is the failure to exercise a reasonable degree of care to avoid harming another person. If you can prove negligence, you might have a legitimate claim to seek compensation for your injury.

For example, a reasonable ship operator is responsible for inspecting and maintaining the ship. They should know about a loose railing along an outer deck and take the necessary steps to repair it. The operator could be liable if a passenger falls overboard after leaning on the defective rail. This is negligence.

Sometimes, specific circumstances might prevent bringing legal action against a cruise line. Someone else might be liable, such as the company that arranges shore excursions or a third-party contractor responsible for maintenance work. You might then have to pursue the third party for compensation.

When you file a personal injury lawsuit, the compensation you potentially receive might cover injury-related losses, such as:

• Pain and suffering
• Lost wages from missing work while injured
• Lost earning capacity due to inability to work in the future
• Medical costs, including treatment, prescriptions, hospitalization, and other expenses associated with treating your injury
• Emotional distress from the stress of the accident and your injuries
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Out-of-pocket expenses
• Damage to your personal property involved in the accident

You might also recover punitive damages in a lawsuit against the negligent party. You must provide clear and convincing evidence of the defendant’s gross negligence or intentional misconduct to be awarded punitive damages.

According to federal law, the owner, agent, manager, or master of a vessel transporting passengers between United States ports or ports between the United States and a foreign county cannot limit the required timeframes for:

• Notice of claims to less than six months after the date of personal injury or death
• Filing lawsuits less than one year after the accident for personal injury or death

That means, at minimum, you have six months to give notice of an injury claim or one year to file a lawsuit after a cruise ship accident. Personal injury cases usually follow state law with longer statutes of limitations. However, many cruise lines shorten the timeframe. Most cruise lines follow the minimum time limits required by maritime law. You must review the contract in your cruise ticket to determine how much time you have to bring legal action for your injury. You should contact an attorney right away to make sure you observe all deadlines involved with your case. Otherwise, you may be unable to seek compensation for your injuries.

Your cruise ship ticket/contract is the primary legal source that will be applicable to your case. It will provide the necessary information about things like deadlines for notice and filing a lawsuit. It will also provide the cruise line’s choice of the court where your case goes to trial.

Maritime law may also apply when it comes to cruise ship injuries. One such law, the Jones Act, primarily applies to injured seamen, crew members, and others. It allows them to sue employers for negligence resulting in injury or death. However, a section of the Jones Act called the Passenger Vessel Services Act controls some aspects of cruise ship operation.

An experienced cruise ship injury lawyer can help you determine which laws apply in your case and what legal options are available. They can also provide guidance and advice on pursuing your claim and pursuing the maximum compensation for your injuries and losses.

A cruise ship provides a unique opportunity to enjoy time with family and friends, but it can also be the site where a serious injury occurs. If an accident happens, turn to Louis A. Vucci P.A. for help. We are ready to pursue compensation from the negligent party and work to resolve your case favorably.

Call Louis A. Vucci P.A. at (786) 375-0344 for a free, confidential consultation. If you sustained injuries on a Crystal cruise ship, let us fight for the justice you deserve.