Health insurance may provide some coverage if you are injured on the first day of your Florida cruise. But once you are in international waters or another country, your health care coverage usually won’t help with the expense of recovery.
The cost of evacuating to land if you are seriously hurt and receiving medical care in a foreign country will be very expensive. The money may have to come out of the passenger’s pocket. Victims may also demand support from a cruise line if an accident is caused by the company’s negligence.
Insurance Coverage After an Accident Aboard a Cruise Ship
Suffering a broken bone while falling on a cruise ship might leave you in serious need of medical care. Unfortunately, that care may be hundreds of miles away across the water. It may be in a hospital in a foreign country where your health insurance can’t be relied upon.
These situations are far too common for cruise ship travelers. Victims can be faced with massive medical bills and even have to pay for expensive helicopter rides. The insurance they have may be of no help.
These are a few of the options if you get seriously ill or suffer a major injury while at sea:
- Your Health Insurance: The health coverage you get through work, or pay for on your own, may only cover you for the start and end of your trip. Once you are in international waters or in a port of call, most health insurance protection disappears.
- Your Trip Insurance: Many passengers sign up for cruise insurance. The cruise lines all offer their own insurance options. There are also third-party insurers who cover trips. This insurance can be expensive, and the list of what different policies will cover can vary across a wide range of protections. Shop around to find the policy that’s right for you.
- Credit Card Insurance: Some trip protections come as perks with some credit cards. These credit cards often provide travel emergency assistance to anyone who purchases travel tickets with a card.
- The Cruise Line: If you are hurt in an accident caused by dangerous conditions aboard a cruise ship, the parent company of your cruise may be liable for your injury. Victims seek help with medical costs, lost income at work, and other damages through a personal injury claim. Cruise ship owners and operators must do everything possible to remove hazards like puddles on the floor or dangerous stairwell obstacles so that guests can’t get hurt. They must clean adequately to prevent dangerous viruses from spreading. The cruise ship can also be liable if you are hurt while on excursions or exploring ports of call. Excursion and tour operators may also have to contribute to your recovery if you get hurt.
When vacationers get hurt by a hazard that could have been prevented, the cruise company could be fully liable. But cruise ships will have their own legal teams working to help shift blame in accidents and to try to limit what victims receive in settlement checks. It’s a good idea to have strong legal representation of your own in these cases to make sure your interests are protected.
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.
