Personal Injury Lawyer
No one wants to become injured while on a cruise; however, it happens. If you or a loved one was injured on a cruise ship, whether you are a passenger or crew, you may be able to pursue monetary compensation. What you should understand now is that these cases are often rife with complications and tend to involve special legislation that may be applicable to the state, federal government, and country. You should not pursue a case like this without specifically contacting a cruise ship accident lawyer for advice.
The cruise ship accident lawyers at Therman Law Offices, LTD assist passengers and crew to recover damages against some of the biggest cruise lines in the world. Regardless of what happened, a lawyer will be happy to listen to your story and provide the assistance you need.
The Right Experience and Skills You Need
You might feel like you should contact your nearest lawyer for help with a cruise ship accident case. However, unless they have experience in these types of cases, they might hurt your case by treating it just like another personal injury case. Although the principles of wrongdoing, recklessness, and negligence are universal, the similarities between cruise accidents and personal injury law stop immediately at maritime law and other special regulations. To add to this, most cruise lines will issue tickets that include contracts and lawsuit filing requirements. If you do not retain a cruise ship accident lawyer who understands these factors, you may risk losing everything you need to recover.
Understanding Ticket Contracts
As a passenger, when you paid for your cruise ticket, you automatically agreed to the terms of the ticket contract. The same is true for employees of the cruise line. These terms will be applicable regardless of whether or not you read them. Ticket contracts tend to be several pages long, include legal jargon, and will likely benefit the cruise line more than you. In general, it will affect your ability to recover monetary damages. Most of these contracts will also implement a very strict statute of limitations that will give you very little time to pursue compensation.
For example, under maritime law in the U.S. an injured passenger will have 2-3 years to file a claim. However, most of the ticket contracts will shorten this period of time to 6 months to one year. It is not uncommon for an ignorant passenger to miss this short deadline and have their case dismissed. We cannot emphasize the importance of reaching out to a personal injury lawyer who handles cruise accidents.
Choosing the Jurisdiction
In general when you file a lawsuit against another individual or entity, you have the right to choose the jurisdiction. This is usually not applicable in cruise accident cases. Most of the cruise lines will require you to file your case in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. What this means is that if this is true for you, you will need to file in the state of Florida.
Notice Requirements
In addition to the above complications, your ticket contract might require you to provide a written notice to the cruise line within 6 months from the date of your accident. If you fail to do so, you may be unable to pursue compensation. There are exceptions to this rule, of which a cruise accident lawyer can explain to you.
Cruise Accident Lawyer
If you or a loved one was injured on a cruise, or lost their life, please call a personal injury lawyer from our friends at Therman Law Offices, LTD as quickly as possible.