Cruise Ship Injury Lawyers
Are you a cruise ship worker or passenger who has been injured?
We represent clients who have been injured both as passengers on cruise ships and as employees who work for a variety of cruise ship companies. If you have been injured on a cruise ship, we may be able to assist you.
Cruise Ship Employees
If you work aboard a cruise ship, chances are you are a “seaman” as defined by the Jones Act and general maritime law. “Seamen”, under federal law, are entitled to maritime injury benefits. As such, you may have a right to recover for all of your “losses”, which may include:
- Wage loss incurred during your period of disability
- Future wage loss, in the event that you are unable to return to your original employment as a result of your injury
- Pain and suffering incurred as a result of your injury
- Costs of retraining, in the event that you have to learn how to do a different job as a result of your injury
- Wages to the end of your contract, even if you had to leave the vessel before your contract was completed
- Medical expenses and treatment needs incurred as a result of your injury
- Living expenses incurred while you are recovering.
Many cruise ship operators are either based in Seattle or have sufficient business ties to Seattle to make filing a claim in the Federal District Court for the Western District of Washington appropriate. In this regard, most cruise ship employees qualify as seamen, with the same entitlements regarding an injury at sea claim against the vessel owner employer as a licensed mariner.
Many working aboard a cruise ship are not fully aware of their rights and claims adjusters dealing with medical matters and arranging for limited amounts of compensation are either unaware of the injured person’s rights or, if aware, do not fully communicate the extent of those rights to the injured injured party.
Workers are sometimes misled about their entitlements. Some are led to believe their rights are limited to state workers’ compensation programs. However, a state workers’ compensation benefit program may not be appropriate and, as a matter of law, may not apply. Nonetheless, because the injured worker is presented with “workers’ comp” forms, a false sense of security may arise – and the possibly incorrect conclusion that a worker’s rights are limited to state workers’ comp programs benefits.
Not knowing the protections the law provides you in the event of a maritime injury can be expensive. Much like you wouldn’t sign on to a contract with an inexperienced skipper, you ought not sign on with an inexperienced maritime injury attorney.
Cruise Ship Passengers
If you have been injured as a passenger aboard a cruise ship, you may have significant legal rights. You may also be at significant risk for loss of those rights if you do not act. This sometimes can mean having to pursue and file a claim within as little as six months.
Cruise ship operators owe a duty of care to passengers which requires that the vessel and its common areas open to use by passengers be kept “reasonably safe”. In most circumstances, this requires the cruise ship operator to ensure the vessel is safe, including all areas where passengers are likely to go or be found.
Many cruise ship operators also take maximum advantage of the law to limit their liability as much as possible, and to require the most prompt action on the part of an injured passenger in the event of an injury. It is common for cruise ship operators to include provisions on the back of a cruise ticket that require a person filing suit do so out of the area (e.g., Florida) and within short periods of time (e.g., six months). Sometimes, the courts will uphold these provisions and, in our experience, some passengers have lost cases because of failure to act promptly.
Not knowing the protections the law provides you in the event of a maritime injury can be expensive. Much like you wouldn’t sign on to a contract with an inexperienced skipper, you ought not sign on with an inexperienced maritime injury attorney.
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