High profile disasters involving cruise ships in 2012 and 2013 have resulted in increased media coverage of cruise lines and how they respond when things go wrong on cruises. Passengers who drifted for days on the disabled and sewage-laden Carnival Triumph have sought legal help. At the Maus Law Firm we have been assisting cruise injury victims for years and understand the special complexities of these lawsuits.
Triumph passengers were offered refunds, vouchers for future cruises, and $500, but many passengers found that offer woefully inadequate. Contacting a cruise ship injury law firm after being injured on a cruise is the best move whether you’ve been stuck on a toxic vessel in the Gulf of Mexico or whether you suffered a personal injury while on a cruise ship.
Any cruise line injury lawyer will tell you that the extensive terms and conditions included in your cruise tickets are written almost exclusively in favor of the cruise line. Obtaining compensation after a cruise injury is difficult, but not impossible, as long as you enlist in the counsel of an experienced cruise ship injury law firm. You also have to act swiftly, because cruise lines impose short statutes of limitations.
One of the many terms and conditions Carnival imposes is a prohibition of class action lawsuits. However, some attorneys for Triumph passengers are trying to have that condition voided due to the seriousness of the situation. If lawyers can show the cruise line was negligent in sailing despite past engine problems, and that passengers suffered severely, they may be able to certify a class action.
Contact a cruise line injury lawyer as soon as you return from a cruise where you were injured. Document everything that happened, get contact information for witnesses, and obtain a copy of your shipboard medical record. Fighting a legal battle with a cruise line is a challenge, but it can be done successfully. At the Maus Law Firm, we have the experience clients require when they suffer cruise ship injuries.