What Happens When There is a Medical Emergency on a Cruise Ship?
What Happens When There is a Medical Emergency on a Cruise Ship? By Delgado Trial Attorneys No one goes on a cruise expecting to receive
When there’s trouble in Paradise
Cruise ship shore excursions are often a the most anticipated part of an upcoming cruise itinerary because of the exotic locations and breathtaking experiences they advertise. Whether it is a jungle zip-line expedition, an ATV ride through the lush tropical rain forest or snorkeling around picture perfect coral reef, these adventures are what most passengers envision when they buy their cruise tickets. The fun in the sun is exactly what was imagined until the unthinkable happens. In the blink of an eye, a once in a lifetime dream vacation turns into a seemingly never-ending nightmare. Accidents in foreign ports of call mean you need an experienced cruise ship shore excursion accident lawyer to fight for your rights to justice and compensation.
The promise of adventure calls is hard turn down when most cruise ship passengers step onboard a ship. After counting down for months, it is finally time to live the dream and experience the adventure they have longed for will finally be taken off the bucket-list and turn into memories that will last a lifetime. Unfortunately, the memories will last a lifetime, even if you have had a change of heart after getting injured in a shore excursion accident in a foreign port of call.
For the unsuspecting cruise ship passenger that suffers an injury during a shore excursion, the reality of the their situation typically sinks in the moment they realize their entire vacation has come to an end. Abandoned in a foreign country far from home and with medical facilities that are far from what the typical American or European passenger would expect at home, the reality of their circumstances hit them like a train barreling down the tracks. Left in a foreign country, likely with no medical insurance, they are lucky if they are allowed to access Wi-Fi to get in touch with friends and family back home.
Typically, this is just the start of nightmare that they will have to endure as they recover from catastrophic injuries that can lead to medical bills in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. If this sounds familiar to you, you are in need of the services that a skilled cruise ship shore excursion accident attorney who can help protect your rights and fight for the justice you are entitled to.
Making it out alive is half the battle. Shore excursion accident victims usually receive rudimentary medical treatment, at best, regardless of the severity of their injuries. Often, they are left with a single family member or friend, if they are lucky. That is where they will remain until an air ambulance can be arranged to repatriate the injured passenger back to their port of departure, an expense that alone can reach $100,000, if not more. As if the experience wasn’t bad enough yet, the injured, and now indebted, cruise passenger finds out that it will be very difficult to hold the negligent company accountable.
Frequently, cruise passengers injured in shore excursion accidents are shocked to learn that the cruise line they sailed with denies having any responsibility for the accident caused by their shore excursion operator who is also their business partner. In fact, cruise lines routinely disclaim any association with the excursion operator. Most cruise companies claim they had no way of preventing the accidents from happening which justifies their refusal to offer financial compensation, at least in their own minds.
However, the reality is that shore excursions are highly promoted by the cruise lines . . . because they generate substantial income from these tours, which are typically delivered by independent contractors not subject to the jurisdiction of U.S. courts. These independent contractors may be uninsured, underinsured, unlicensed, or irresponsible. As if that was not bad enough, the excursion operator is protected by the laws of personal jurisdiction which often helps them avoid accountability by manipulating the laws of personal jurisdiction to shield them from the civil justice afforded by the US federal courts.
If you were injured in a shore excursion accident, time is of the essence for you to make a claim. Speak to an experienced cruise ship shore excursion accident lawyer before it is too late. Delgado Trial Attorneys have extensive experience helping clients hold foreign excursion companies and their cruise line travel partners accountable for their own negligence.
Cruise lines are responsible for passenger injuries that occur both on and off the ship in certain circumstances. If you have been injured on cruise ship shore excursion, Delgado Trial Attorneys is committed to holding the cruise line accountable for your injuries. In fact, we urge anyone who has been involved in an accident during a cruise to consult with an experienced cruise ship shore excursion injury lawyer before the time periods in the ticket contracts run out.
Important evidence such as the identity of crewmember and shore excursion personnel witnesses, CCTV footage of the incident, data on marine and oceanographic conditions including wind speeds and wave height, and the circumstances of the accident are often lost to the passage of time after the incident.
Getting hurt while on a shore excursion is often very expensive and medical bills can tally into the high six figures, in addition to past and future lost wages. They also lose the value of their vacation and endure months or even years of pain and suffering.
Injuries sustained on a cruise ship shore excursion must be thoroughly documented. Immediately after the accident occurs, doing the following can help maximize your recovery:
Cases such as these are not easy ones to win, and they require the assistance of experienced maritime injury attorneys. At Delgado Trial Attorneys, we regularly fight for the rights of injured cruise ship passengers injured in shore excursion accidents all over the world.
Time is of the essence, when filing a lawsuit against one of the major cruise lines. These claims must typically be filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Passengers are usually limited by their ticket contracts to just one year from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit. That’s why it is essential to hire an attorney experienced in handling cruise ship and shore excursion accidents in order to successfully recover damages to compensate for an injury sustained during a cruise voyage.
Delgado Trial Attorneys possess a skill set that few other maritime attorneys can claim. Specifically, their diverse professional experience including Raul G. Delgado II’s extensive experience defending insurance companies and the major cruise lines and preparing their trial strategies for years before beginning to represent accident victims in Florida and cruise ship passengers and crew members injured because of negligence. Coupled with Raul G. Delgado’s 44 years of personal injury experience fighting on behalf of injured accident victims throughout Florida, Delgado Trial Attorneys offers a combination of experience in all types of cruise ship personal injuries unlike any of their competitors.
This diverse experience allows our attorneys to effectively strategize and advocate for every client we represent. We have handled all types of cruise ship passenger accidents over the years with a focus on slip, trip and falls, medical malpractice, FlowRider accidents, sexual assaults, Death on the High Seas, and more. Contact our law firm today for a free case evaluation. Virtual sign-ups available.
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