Passengers aboard cruise ships rely on the cruise line to provide safe travel aboard their vessel from the start of their trip to finish. Yet serious injuries can and do take place for not only cruise ship passengers, but employees often. Cruise ships have a duty of care to both passengers and crew to ensure safety. A failure to meet that duty of care can signal legal liability and be the basis of a personal injury lawsuit.
Cruise ship injuries can result from a wide array of circumstances and occurrences, but it is rather common for accidents to result from: food poisoning, failing guardrails, inadequate warnings and warning signs, overcrowding, infectious disease or pathogens and raised thresholds, among others.
For cruise ships that provide overnight accommodations for more than 250 passengers and that has departed from a US port, the 2010 Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act prescribes:
• Railing on the cruise ship of at least 42 inches high
• Added communication between the cruise line and the federal agencies in the U.S. with regards to any missing or injured passenger
• All vessels must have specific safety features that include on-deck surveillance and peepholes
• Policies preventing crewmembers from having access to passenger cabins
• Any cruise ship that carries citizens of the U.S and who enters U.S. waters must have at least one crewmember trained and certified by the Coast Guard on procedures for dealing with crimes on board the vessel
For employees of cruise ships, federal maritime law The Jones Act protects any “seamen” or others employees assigned to assist with the voyage of a commercial vessel that are injured while they are aboard the vessel. The law applies to any seamen working on a cruise ship, barge, riverboat, fishing boat or offshore oil rig in the case of an accident. Under to the law, a seaman may recover damages from their employer if they are injured while employed. A departure from standard workers' compensation laws, the Jones Act mandates that the employee prove negligence on the part of their employer.
Accidents that occur on cruise ships can have a multitude of ramifications and the laws differ in some ways from standard personal injury regulation. If you have questions about an injury sustained while on a cruise ship, it is important to obtain the counsel of an experienced personal injury attorney who can navigate the complex laws associated with these accidents.
Call the lawyers of Panio Law Offices in Chicago at (708) 928-8680 and speak with an experienced personal injury attorney today and get the advocate you need to recover the highest damages to which you are entitled. Consultation is free, and we don't collect a fee unless we recover damages for you.