Cruise Ship Injury Lawyers in Seattle

Many cruise ships depart from the Port of Seattle to travel to Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park, the Inside Passage, and other destinations like Hawaii and the Pacific Coast. Cruises offer a combination of adventure, convenience, and comfort that’s hard to beat. You only need to unpack once, but you get to stop off at numerous ports of call while enjoying fine dining and excellent entertainment. It’s easy to see why so many people make a cruise their vacation choice.

However, major cruise lines don’t always take the care you expect them to take to avoid accidents and protect their passengers and crew members. They may not maintain the ship in a safe condition, or they may fail to train the crew to avoid accidents and handle emergencies effectively. They may fail to keep adequate supplies of emergency equipment on hand or to protect passengers from physical assault. An injury caused by cruise ship negligence can turn what should be a fun vacation into a nightmare of pain and expensive medical bills.

If you were injured on a cruise, you need the help of a maritime personal injury lawyer to pursue compensation from the cruise line. Louis A. Vucci P.A. is a cruise ship injury lawyer in Seattle with a winning track record against the major cruise lines. Our law firm represents passenger and crew member claims for personal injury or wrongful death. For a free consultation with a cruise ship accident attorney, contact us today at (786) 375-0344.

Navigating Cruise Ship Personal Injury Claims in Seattle

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury on a cruise departing from Seattle, it’s essential to know your rights and the steps to protect yourself. Louis A. Vucci P.A. specializes in representing injured cruise ship passengers and crew members, helping them understand maritime law and seek the compensation they deserve.

What Injured Seattle Cruise Ship Passengers and Crew Members Need to Know

After an injury on a cruise departing from Seattle, it’s important to understand your rights and the steps you need to take to protect yourself. Here are the key things you need to know:

1) Your Cruise Ticket: The Fine Print Matters

When you receive your cruise ticket, review the fine print carefully. The ticket outlines important legal details, including a one-year deadline for filing injury claims against the cruise line. Missing this deadline can prevent you from seeking compensation, so understanding these terms is critical.

Much of the fine print on your cruise ticket deals with other issues. According to Cruisecritic, these include penalties if you disembark at a port you’re not supposed to disembark from, the possibility that port fees will change during your journey, restrictions on what you can put in your checked baggage, and restrictions on traveling with an infant younger than six months. However, the fine print does include limitations on the cruise line’s liability that can affect your ability to take them to court.

That doesn’t mean you don’t have any rights as a cruise line passenger. Members of the Cruise Lines International Association must adhere to the CLIA’s Passenger Bill of Rights, a document that gives you the right to:

• Emergency medical care from a full-time professional onboard until you can get onshore to seek medical care
• A crew with training in evacuations and other emergency procedures
• An emergency power source if the ship’s primary power source fails
• Transportation to your home city or the ship’s scheduled disembarkation port if mechanical failures force an early end to the cruise

Confirm that your cruise line has adopted the CLIA’s Passenger Bill of Rights before taking your cruise.

2) Timing Is Critical

Acting quickly after an injury is essential. Report the incident immediately, seek medical care—whether onboard or after disembarking—and consult a lawyer as soon as possible. Taking prompt action helps you meet legal deadlines and preserve important evidence, such as medical records and witness statements. Be sure to document everything following a cruise ship accident. Whatever the circumstances of your injury, take photos or video to support your accident claim. Your cruise ship injury lawyer will ask if you have photos of your injuries or the accident scene. You should also request a copy of the ship’s incident report and of your medical records. Any evidence you can collect will help your case.

3) Legal Jurisdiction: Not Always U.S. Laws

Although your cruise departs from Seattle, the ship’s registration may dictate that foreign laws apply. Most cruise ships are registered in countries like the Bahamas or Panama, which means legal issues might be governed by those nations’ laws. Understanding which laws apply to your case can be difficult, but a knowledgeable Seattle-based maritime lawyer can guide you through the process. Cruise ships typically fly a “flag of convenience,” registering in a country where the laws are less favorable for a personal injury lawsuit.

Maritime law may require the laws of the country in which the ship is registered to be applied in that case. Cruise lines use this strategy to make it harder for passengers and crew members to win a lawsuit against them. A cruise ship injury lawyer in Seattle will know what to do to effectively pursue compensation in your case under the laws of whatever country the cruise ship is registered in, if that turns out to be necessary.

Where Do I File a Cruise Ship Injury Claim for an Accident that Occurred in Seattle?

If you’ve been injured on a cruise, it’s important to know where you must file your claim. Cruise lines such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian require that injury claims be filed in Miami, Florida, as outlined in the cruise ticket contract. This provision, known as a “forum selection clause,” mandates that cases go through specific courts. Other lines, such as Princess Cruises, require claims to be filed in California; Holland America directs cases to Washington State.

When cruise ship injuries happen at sea rather than in Seattle, maritime law likely governs any injury claim. That means you cannot file your case in a state court because only a federal court can handle a case involving maritime law. Your contract may specify that you must file the case in Miami or Seattle, depending on your cruise line, regardless of where you began the cruise. Jurisdiction in a Seattle cruise ship injury case can be a difficult matter. Don’t try to figure it out yourself.

It’s important to know where to file your claim and to act quickly, as most cruise lines enforce a one-year statute of limitations. An experienced cruise ship injury lawyer can help you file your claim in the correct jurisdiction.

The Port of Seattle: Key Information for Cruise Ship Injury Claims

The Port of Seattle has two cruise terminals, offering trips to Glacier Bay and the Inside Passage in Alaska’s May to September cruise season, as well as some trips to Hawaii and the Pacific Coast:

• Pier 66 – Bell Street Cruise Terminal: Norwegian, Oceania, and Regent Seven Seas.
• Pier 91 – Smith Cove Cruise Terminal: Carnival, Celebrity, Holland America, Princess, and Royal Caribbean.

Pier 66 is located at 2225 Alaskan Way, so you can walk there from the famous Pike Place Market.

Pier 91 is located at 2001 W Garfield St. It is a little further from downtown but not hard to get to.

Were you injured due to unsafe conditions at or around one of Seattle’s terminals, or while boarding or disembarking? If so, a cruise ship accident lawyer in Washington can determine who is liable for your injuries and pursue the compensation you deserve.

Injuries and the Law: Understanding Negligence and Your Right to Compensation

Cruise lines are legally obligated to maintain safe environments for passengers and crew. Negligence occurs when they fail in this duty, such as by not maintaining equipment or addressing hazards onboard. For example, poor maintenance of key systems like diesel generators can result in preventable accidents. In cases where negligence causes injury, those affected have the right to seek compensation. A Seattle-based cruise ship injury lawyer can help prove negligence and secure damages for medical expenses, lost wages, and more.

How do you know if a cruise line has been negligent? Negligence is simply the failure to exercise reasonable care. So, if you were injured because the cruise line didn’t take steps to keep you safe, you have a valid personal injury claim. The U.S. Supreme Court defines maritime negligence as failure to exercise reasonable care “under the circumstances,” so the context in which the accident happened does matter for the outcome of the case.

Examples of negligence on a cruise ship include:

• Slacking off on safety standards for the sake of profit
• Not training the crew properly
• Not maintaining the ship to an acceptable safety standard
• Not keeping enough safety equipment on the ship
• Making incompetent decisions
• Reckless navigation

FAQs

What Should I Do After a Cruise Ship Accident in Seattle?

After a cruise ship accident in Seattle:

• Ask for medical attention. The ship should have a full-time medical practitioner onboard under the CLIA’s Passenger Bill of Rights.
• Report the time, location, and circumstances of your injury to the cruise ship staff.
• Request a copy of the ship’s incident report.
• Take photographs or video of any injuries, the place where the accident occurred, and anything else that might help your attorneys.
• Find out who saw the accident and ask them for their contact information.
• Don’t sign anything until your attorney can look at it.
• Think about what you’re saying before you say it, and be careful not to admit fault unintentionally. For instance, if you slip and fall on a wet staircase, don’t comment that you “should have been more careful.”
• Contact a personal injury maritime lawyer immediately.

How Long Do I Have to Sue After a Cruise Ship Accident in Seattle?

The statute of limitations under maritime law is officially three years, according to the Uniform Statute of Limitations for Marine Torts. However, you do not actually have three years to file a lawsuit because your contract with the cruise line gives you only one year. That’s why you need to sit down for a free consultation with a cruise ship injury lawyer in Seattle as soon as you can. The sooner you contact a lawyer, the sooner they can investigate your case and negotiate a fair settlement.

What Types of Injuries Can I Claim for a Cruise Ship Accident in Seattle?

Accidents that often occur on cruise ships include:

• Slip and falls
• Waterslide injuries
• Accidents in and around the ship’s swimming pools
• Food poisoning incidents
• Norovirus outbreaks
• Accidents while boarding or disembarking
• Fires

These accidents result in a range of injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, burns, and drowning. Our law firm handles any cruise ship personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits.

In a personal injury case, you can recover compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses. Your case’s value depends on many factors, including:

• The severity of your injuries
• The extent of the medical care you will need
• Whether you suffered any disfigurement
• Whether the cruise line acted with reckless disregard for your safety

Your cruise ship injury lawyer can help determine how much your case is likely to be worth.

Can I Sue a Cruise Line for an Accident that Occurred on an Excursion in Seattle?

You may be able to sue the cruise line for an accident on an excursion in Seattle if the cruise line was negligent in planning or organizing the excursion. However, in this case, the liable party is more likely to be the company running the excursion. Tell us about the accident when you have your free consultation. We will let you know who the liable parties are in your case.