You’ll want first to prepare your case for a lawsuit. This will mean gathering evidence such as witness testimony, security footage, and medical documents. Then you’ll file suit in the state the cruise ticket contract indicates. This is usually the state in which the cruise line has its headquarters.
A critical step will be hiring a Fort Lauderdale cruise ship accident lawyer. You can file a lawsuit without a lawyer, but your chances of winning your case against a giant company like a cruise line go way down. Cruise ship lines can afford corporate lawyers to attack your case, and perhaps find ways to blame you for your accident. You’ll want a legal professional to correctly file your claim, meet important deadlines, and represent you in court.
Filing a Claim Against a Cruise Ship Company
You will file your claim, hopefully with the help of an attorney, when you feel your case is prepared and backed with proof of what happened.
Your attorney would file a lawsuit in the state where the company has its home offices. That’s Florida for many cruise lines. That’s true of Royal Caribbean (Miami) and Carnival Cruise Line (Doral, Florida).
Your lawyer could represent you no matter what state you call home. We can help you avoid traveling back to Florida for court hearings and trial dates unless absolutely necessary.
But before you file, there are some steps to take to prepare for a trial or even avoid one:
- Gather evidence. The best evidence will be found on the scene of your accident aboard ship or in a port of call. If you are strong enough, try to get photos of the hazard that caused you to get hurt. Alert a ship official about what happened so an incident report gets filed. You should also get witness contact information.
- Speak to a lawyer. A free consultation with Cowen Edwards Trial Lawyers is an easy way to determine how strong your case is and how much you should be demanding from a cruise line. Victims who represent themselves don’t usually have the legal knowledge to hold a large international company or corporation liable for its mistakes. Consider hiring a lawyer to safeguard your case against attacks from the cruise line’s lawyers.
- Allow your lawyer to investigate. Contact a lawyer as soon as possible, because your lawyer will have access to the best evidence in the early going. Proof of what happened can disappear, and witnesses can go home and become hard to contact. Act quickly so a full investigation can get underway.
- Keep your medical records and receipts. Keep all medical records showing how badly you are hurt and how much you’ve spent trying to get better. See your own doctor after you get back from your cruise and get any new pain documented. Follow the doctor’s orders, including seeing specialists and getting physical therapy.
- Allow your lawyer to negotiate. In these cases, lawsuits and trials often aren’t necessary for victims to get the full support they need. Skilled lawyers can often force cruise lines to accept blame and settle cases outside of court. You and your lawyer would decide if a settlement offer was acceptable for what you have been through.
- Prepare for Trial. If a cruise line refused to accept full responsibility for your accident, your lawyer would have your case ready to take before a judge and jury. Large companies can still decide to settle in the lead-up to a trial or even during a trial. They often work hard to avoid going to court because of the costs involved and the bad publicity. This can work in your favor as they strive to make you happy with a settlement offer.
How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Claim Against a Cruise Ship Company?
It will depend on the deadline you agree to in the ticket contract when you purchase your cruise. Florida allows most personal injury victims to wait up to two years to file an injury claim. However, some cruise ship lines enforce a one-year (or shorter) deadline for cruise ship passengers.
In cases involving minors or adults who can’t care for themselves, the deadline may be up to three years. In cases involving the tragic loss of a loved one, the surviving family may also get three years to file a wrongful death claim.
Cruise lines can make it hard to determine what the time limit is for your case. You should trust a skilled Fort Lauderdale cruise accident lawyer to help you avoid missing these deadlines. If you miss one, you can lose your chance to file a claim and get help recovering from an accident aboard ship.
Contact a Fort Lauderdale Cruise Ship Accident Lawyer
If your cruise vacation ends in a serious accident, make sure your cruise provider isn’t let off the hook for its negligence.
Allow Cowen Edwards Trial Lawyers to handle the stress and frustration of battling insurance companies while you use that time to focus on healing. We want you to be able to afford the best care available so you can get back to vacationing and cruising as soon as possible. Contact us to schedule a free, no-obligation cruise accident consultation.
If you trust your case to us, you won’t need any money to hire our services. Your Cowen Edwards representative doesn’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the settlement that a Cruise Line must pay you and your family.
