Cruise Ship Litigation And What You Should Do

A Los Angeles personal injury lawyer explains that an estimated nine million people depart from America's many ports travelling to far flung destinations on cruise liners each and every year. Although these numbers have sufficiently increased over the past decade, unfortunately, it is well documented that the standards of safety aboard these vessels haven't.

Claims of personal injury due to slip and fall incidents, food poisoning and gross negligence are becoming quite commonplace. In fact, just recently the news has been plastered with the Italian cruise ship 'Costa Concordia' which ran aground off Italy's coast. Reports are coming in that the ship's captain may have been guilty of human error. The cruise line industry has come under scrutiny of late because of its poor track record and this latest episode only heightens this. If you have suffered any type of personal injury when on board a cruise liner or even when on disembarkation then you should call upon the services of a skilled team of Los Angeles personal injury lawyers who are experienced in dealing with issues of Maritime law.

Statutes of Limitations

In most other cases such as vehicle accidents, wrongful death, and medical malpractice, there is a decent amount of time for a victim and their team of attorneys to bring together a case - normally somewhere between 2 and 4 years. However under maritime law, when investigating a cruise ship case, the contract (which a passenger normally enters into when they choose to sail on the vessel) generally stands at just six months, in which they must make their intentions clear to the cruise line company and just one year in total to the commencement of such a lawsuit. This makes it very tight, and as a result, speed is of the essence.

Forum selection pitfalls

Quite often the success of a claim can depend upon where the attorney advises their client to base the case. However it is again stipulated in many contracts, which the cruise passenger has to abide by when they purchase a ticket, that only certain forums (cities) can be chosen for a particular case. Cruise liners have cut down the number of forums where a claim can now be brought and have limited them to larger ports such as those based in and around Los Angeles and Florida. An team of experienced Los Angeles personal injury attorneys can explain your rights and can go through the fine small print of such contractual obligations with you.

From reading the above it does seem that cruise ship companies can set their own agenda when it comes to litigation, and as a result, any barriers for recovering compensation for any injuries can seem impenetrable. However several American courts have come to realize that the organizations in charge of the cruise liners have to start taking some responsibility for their actions and as a result recognize that accountability by the companies to their passengers is paramount.

Because of all the rules, regulations and indeed red tape, you need to employ the services of a team of Los Angeles personal injury attorneys who have had a proven track record in dealing specifically with cruise line injury cases. They will fully understand the complexities and idiosyncrasies of such laws and as a result, will know what to do to initiate a full and fair compensation claim, with as little delay as possible. This will inevitably mean far less costs to you. With this in mind, even though time is of the essence, it really does pay to think carefully about whom you are going to choose to represent you.

Having been injured whilst you are on vacation can not only be emotionally, physically and financially damaging, but it can be very frustrating, especially when it was through the actions of others. Be rest assured that there are grounds for recourse, and a skilled personal injury attorney Los Angeles can help.