A personal injury claim is a legal case that arises when you suffer from harm as a result of an injury or accident. Also in this case someone is fully responsible for the harm.
Accidents or injuries in a cruise line may occur as a result of negligence by the cruise ship operators. Cruise ship injuries may involve food poisoning, wrongful deaths, slip and fall accidents, ship sinking, physical assaults, untrained crew, and more.
In case of such accidents, you should consider reporting the incident immediately, get written eyewitness statements and you can take photos where appropriate.
Steps To Filing A Cruise Line Personal Injury Claim
Understand The Laws That Apply
Maritime laws are applicable when traveling in international waters. When in US-controlled waters, US maritime laws will apply. Beware of the location in which the incident has happened to know what laws apply to your injury claim.
Report The Injury Or Accident
Report the incident immediately to a security officer or any other personnel within the area. Don’t go back home before reporting the injury or accident. Understand that any delays may negatively affect the success of your cruise line personal injury claim.
You should also visit a cruise line medical center to have your injuries treated. For severe or life-threatening injuries, request to be taken to a more established hospital.
Pay Attention To What You Report And Write
When at sea it is not physically possible to access offshore cruise line lawyers. Therefore consider calling one for consultation on the appropriate things to say about your cruise line personal injury claim.
Remember that everything you say will also be recorded by the ship’s investigation team, for countering your injury claim. With an injury writing may be hard, you should politely inform the cruise line investigators to file such requests directly to your lawyer.
Preserve Evidence
Remember the cruise line will not help you to gather or preserve evidence. It is your responsibility to get evidence that will support your cruise ship accident claims. You could request those around you to help in taking the photos.
Also as part of preserving evidence collect names and contact information of eyewitnesses. Quality images and witnesses are crucial when filing your cruise line personal injury claim.
Where And When To File Your Injury Claim
A personal injury claim is preserved after providing a 6 months notice to a cruise line and filing a case within one year. Also, the suit should be filed in the city-state specified on your ticket.
For example ” Cases against Oceania Cruises are filed in Miami, Florida”
Contact An Offshore Personal Injury Lawyer
Cruise line lawyers are responsible for handling the personal injury claims of their clients. Ensure you contact an injury lawyer as soon as possible before the filing deadline elapses.
Also filing a cruise line personal injury claim under the maritime laws is detailed and complicated. Therefore contract an offshore injury lawyer to make the process easier for you.
Contact Us
At Irwin Law Firm, we have experience in handling maritime law cases near Miami. Contact us today for questions about your injury claim. When injured at sea let us take the stress off your shoulders