Hurt On A Cruise? Shipping Law Firms Can Lend a Help A Growing Trend Cruising is an enormous industry all across the world. Of the billions of passengers that boarded cruise ships last year, more than two-thirds of them came from America. For accommodating the growing number of passengers, all the major cruise lines employ enormous ships - ships that would make the legendary Titanic look like a lifeboat. These new vessels can carry two or three times the number of passengers as the ill-fated ocean liner, not to mention five times the weight! As a result, they have become floating cities, complete with shopping malls, dozens of restaurants, health clubs, casinos, and movie theaters.
Trouble in Paradise Most cruise ship passengers have a blast. They often eat too much, drink too much, and spend too much, which sounds like an enjoyable vacation to us! But another thing they do more than other vacationers is get hurt in transit. Because there are so many passengers and so much area to clean and maintain on modern ships, injuries are not at all uncommon. As a result, personal injury law firms are filing more lawsuits than ever.
Proving Fault It is important to note that all of the major cruise lines have exculpatory clauses that are designed to protect them from litigation written correctly on their tickets. But then again these items aren't worth the ink they're reproduced with if negligence caused an injury to a passenger. How might that happen? Let's say, for instance, a member of the crew forgot to put up a "caution wet floor" signal after having to wash down a segment of the ship's deck. If a customer slips, falls and gets injured because of that slick surface, then that traveler can contact shipping law firms in Beirut Lebanon for consultation. These cases aren't always easy to prove, but an experienced attorney may be able to establish negligence if an employee failed to use reasonable care on board.
Possible Outcome In a recent case, a passenger on a large cruise line was awarded nearly three million dollars after she slipped and injured her knee on the pool deck. Her attorney was able to prove that the area was covered with a slippery resin and, more importantly, that prior accidents had been reported. Why that important?
Accidents happen. But when an accident occurs after someone failed to do their job, that is negligence, and a lawsuit can be filed. Of course, it takes a skilled attorney to review a case as well as determine whether or not it has legal merit. Because of state laws, the suit must often be filed in the state where the port of embarkation is located.
In The End If you have been hurt on a cruise through no fault of your own, shipping law firms will certainly be able to help you recover damages. Considering the fact that, these law firms can look into the whole matter and file a case against the company or the person who has been the source of your injury to make sure that, you don’t have to suffer.