Boca Raton Cruise Ship Accident Lawyer

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If you were injured aboard a cruise ship, Gregg Hollander and the Boca Raton cruise ship accident lawyers at Hollander Law Firm may be able to help.

Cruise ship accidents can leave cruise passengers with serious injuries, and you may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and more.

Since 1996, the injury lawyers at the Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers have recovered tens of millions of dollars for injury victims across South Florida. Please contact our law firm today at (561) 347-7770 to schedule your free consultation.

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How Hollander Can Help After a Cruise Ship Accident

Cruise lines take full advantage of Florida’s scenic coastlines and full-service ports-of-call.

But when cruise ship accidents happen and cruisers have legitimate compensation claims, it can be difficult to get the cruise line to do the right thing.

If you suffered a cruise ship injury as a result of someone else’s negligence, Gregg Hollander and the Boca Raton personal injury lawyers at the Hollander Law Firm can fight for the compensation you deserve. We go far beyond legal advice.

Here’s what you can expect if you choose us to handle your cruise ship accident case:

Full-service representation. Our attorneys begin by listening to your story. We conduct a thorough investigation into the facts and circumstances of your cruise ship accident and we search to see if your cruise line has been found negligent before.
Identify at-fault parties and liable parties. Negligence or other acts on the part of more than one person may have caused your cruise ship accident. We identify the at-fault parties and insurers providing their coverage.
A robust strategy for pursuing your case. We are experienced in maritime law and have conducted hundreds of trials. We have experience settling cases and obtaining favorable judgments before a jury. We develop the best strategy based on our client’s needs and the facts of the case at hand.

Cruise lines offer half-day, full-day and multi-day tours across South Florida, including Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, and West Palm Beach. If you have suffered a cruise ship injury and have sustained losses due to someone else’s negligence, reach out to our office today. We offer free consultations for Florida cruise ship accident cases, and there’s no risk or obligation involved.

How Common Are Cruise Ship Accidents in Boca Raton, FL?

There are hundreds, and maybe thousands, of boat tour operators, boat charters, and cruise ship operators across South Florida. Each day, these operators run one or more boat tours or cruises for tourists and sport fishers.

Florida led the country in 2018 in boating accidents, deaths, and injuries, according to a U.S. Coast Guard survey. In 2018, Florida logged 607 boating accidents that resulted in 297 injuries, 57 deaths, and property damage of over $7 million.

According to data compiled by the U.S. Department of Transportation, over 100 people were sexually assaulted on cruise ships in 2019, while 4 suffered assault with serious bodily injury. However, this crime data does not reflect one common cause of cruise ship injuries: slip-and-fall accidents.

Cruise ship accidents and injuries are likely more common than reporting indicates since many people get off the ship, go home, and never report their cruise ship injury.

What is My Boca Raton Cruise Ship Accident Worth?

The value of a personal injury claim is determined on a case-by-case basis. An experienced cruise ship accident attorney at the Hollander Law Firm can help you understand how the facts of your case influence its value.

Here are some factors that affect the value of personal injury claims:

The severity of injuries (mild, moderate, catastrophic)
Length of time treatment is required for injuries
The certainty of liability and whether the injury victim shares blame for the accident
Cost of litigation and publicity, if any

All of these factors may not apply in all cases.

How Does the Severity of Injuries Influence the Value of a Personal Injury Case?

The severity of injuries can influence the total value of a personal injury case in two ways. First, more severe injuries can lead to higher medical expenses. Second, severe injuries can increase the total pain and suffering damages calculation.

Severe injuries can require medical interventions such as:

Ambulance transportation from the cruise ship to shoreside hospital
Emergency care onboard or onshore
X-rays, MRIs, CT scans onboard or onshore

Sometimes, these medical interventions may be performed in foreign countries, leading to a massive medical bill that your health insurance will likely not cover. An injury victim has the right to seek financial compensation for each of these expenses. After receiving compensation, an injury victim should be in the same financial position they were in before the accident.

How Lengthy Treatment Impacts the Worth of a Personal Injury Case

Lengthy medical treatment can impact the value of a personal injury case in the same essential ways that severity does. Longer treatment time usually leads to more medical bills. It also substitutes as an indicator of the level of pain, suffering, and permanent disability an injury victim may experience.

Can I Still Recover Compensation if I am Being Blamed for My Boca Raton Cruise Ship Accident?

If your case is governed by Florida law, you can recover even if you share the blame for the accident that caused your injuries. The accomplished personal injury attorneys at the Hollander Law Firm always work with our clients to minimize any blame and deflect any unfair accusations of blame. Why?

Under the law of modified comparative negligence, an injury victim’s total compensation can be reduced if they share in the blame for their injury. Their right to compensation can be eliminated if they are mostly at fault. Since insurance companies know this, they often lodge exaggerated claims about passenger negligence. We fight hard to defend against these claims and obtain maximum compensation for our clients.

What Compensation Can Cruise Ship Accident Victims Get?

Cruise ship accident victims may have a legitimate legal claim for compensatory damages. Two kinds of compensatory damages are available: economic and non-economic damages.

What Are Economic Damages?

Economic damages compensate injury victims for financial losses, including expenses and lost income related to an accident.

Examples of economic damages include:

Doctor’s and surgeon’s bills
Prescription expenses
Loss of income for time away from work for treatment
Loss of income earning capacity

These losses must be directly related to the accident, and they have to be documented.

What Are Non-Economic Damages?

Non-economic damages offer to make up for intangible losses. In other words, the kind of losses that cannot usually be easily valued.

These losses include:

Mental anguish
Humiliation
Embarrassment
Disfigurement
Loss of consortium and loss of enjoyment of life

Like economic damages, these losses have to be proven to be connected to the accident. Unlike economic damages, these losses are not easily quantified. At the Hollander Law Firm, we work with South Florida’s leading financial experts to establish the value of your non-economic damages.

We’ll Fight to Recover Compensation for All of Your Cruise Ship Accident Injuries

Cruise ships can be quite dangerous for those enjoying a voyage on the water.

At the Hollander Law Firm, our knowledgeable Boca Raton personal injury lawyers have experience with all kinds of cruise ship accidents and injuries, such as:

Slip-and-fall accidents
Trip-and-fall accidents
Burn injuries
Pool and waterslide accidents
Drowning
Viral infection from contamination or unsanitary conditions
Injuries sustained in on-shore excursions
Injuries sustained during onboard activities
Sexual assault and physical assault
Medical malpractice in the ship’s infirmary

No matter what type of injury you have suffered in your cruise ship accident, we can handle your case with skill and compassion.

How Do I Prove Negligence in Florida?

Cruise ship operators owe a duty of reasonable care to passengers on their vessels.

The duty of reasonable care might include:

Keeping vessels and common areas free from slip, trip, and fall hazards
Maintaining the ship’s equipment in proper working order
Providing passengers safe access to and from the vessel
Ensuring safety and security measures to protect passengers from foreseeable risks
Posting high-visibility warnings about known, but hidden, hazards

To help prove negligence in your case, your personal injury lawyer will have to establish that the cruise operator owed a duty of care to passengers. Your attorney will also have to prove that the cruise operator breached their duty, which caused your injuries.

Of course, your injuries must have resulted in damages to entitle you to compensation.

How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a Cruise Ship Accident in Florida?

After a cruise ship accident, under Florida’s statute of limitations, a negligence lawsuit must be filed within two years from the date of the injury. You also have two years to file for wrongful death cases.

While this may seem like a long time, many cruise operators’ contracts of carriage (the fine print on the ticket purchase) require injuries to be reported to the cruise line within months after the date of injury. This is important because cruise operators may point to the contract terms when addressing claims through their insurance company.

Contact Our Boca Raton Cruise Ship Accident Lawyers Today

If you or a loved one have suffered an injury in a cruise ship accident, you could get financial compensation to offset your medical expenses, lost wages, and more. The knowledgeable Boca Raton personal injury lawyers at the Hollander Law Firm are waiting to hear from you. Contact us to schedule a free consultation today.