Cruise Ship Accident

Florida Cruise Ship Accident Attorney

Carnival Cruise Line, RCL, NCL, Celebrity

When passengers walk aboard a cruise ship, they are enchanted by the size of the vessel, the constant party like atmosphere, the music and onboard activities. Most passengers do not realize that accidents happen often on cruise ships. When those unexpected onboard accident occur, and a passenger suffers a serious injury, the clock to preserve and protect the injured passenger’s rights is literally ticking away. Cruise ship accidents are some of the most complicated and time sensitive accidents that experienced personal injury attorney Joseph Lipsky has help clients with over the last 23 years.

Unlike typical accidents in Florida, those happening on cruise ships are governed by specific Federal Law, not general negligence laws. Those binding Federal laws are referenced in the passenger’s contract of carriage, which most people refer to as their ticket. That ticket is actually a list of conditions which each passenger must agree to before boarding the vessel. Most injured passengers are unaware that they are subjected to a specific one year statute of limitations; unlike negligence cases in Florida, which have a four year statute of limitations.

Consequently, passenger injured onboard cruise ships need to immediately contact an experienced cruise ship attorney, one who has the knowledge of how to handle onboard accidents and maneuver within the constraints of the binding ticket language. Also, those tickets also require all lawsuits for damages from accidents which happen onboard Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise Lines must be filed in Federal Court in Miami, Florida; regardless of where the passenger actually lives.

Some of the most frequently occurring onboard cruise ship accidents include:

• Slip and fall accidents on wet floors, including around pool decks
• Trip and fall accidents over raised doorways
• Injuries caused by drunken crew members
• Failing to supervise passengers transferring to port-side tenders
• Poor ship maneuvers
• Poor maintenance

If you are the unfortunate victim of an onboard accident you, or your friends and family members, should try to get the names and contact information of any other passengers who may have witnessed the accident; take as many photographs as possible of whatever the condition is which may have caused the accident; report the accident to the ship’s security officer (so they later cannot dispute it happened); and seek immediate medical attention at the ship’s clinic.

Onboard accidents unfortunately result in serious injuries, which often bring the enjoyment of a vacation to an abrupt end. This means an injured cruise ship passenger will not only have a claim for their unpaid medical bills, which may include air ambulance back to the United States, lost wages and pain and suffering, but also the loss of the costs of the vacation the passenger planned many months ahead to enjoy. Having represented dozens of injured victims of onboard cruise ship accidents, Joseph Lipsky has the knowledge and resources to help get you the maximum financial recovery.

Because most cruise ship employees are not allowed to enter the United States, an attorney representing someone injured on a cruise ship must be able to afford the expenses associated with multiple trips to other countries and ports to inspect the vessel, take depositions of onboard security officers, doctors and nurses. Joseph Lipsky has traveled throughout the Caribbean performing such necessary litigation activities. And, as most injured passenger live in places other than Florida, Mr. Lipsky has over the past 23 years, represented injured cruise line passengers throughout the United States, the United Kingdom and Israel. This means, he has and is willing to travel to the passenger’s location to take depositions of their treating doctors and employers.

If you or a loved one were injured on a cruise ship accident, we urge you to CONTACT the Law Offices of Joseph I. Lipsky, P.A., either ONLINE OR by CALLING us:

(888) FLA-LAW8 – Toll Free (888) 352-5298

to arrange for your FREE NO OBLIGATION CONSULTATION. The call and personal injury consultation are FREE, so do not delay in calling to find out about your legal rights.