Slip And Fall While Entering Or Leaving A Cruise Ship Lawyer

California is a popular tourist spot because of the lovely weather and the many attractions and natural beauty of the state. But it is also a very popular destination for travelers who want to go on a cruise. With many large ports such as San Diego, Long Beach, and San Francisco, there are many options when you want to take a cruise and get on a boat in California. You will find that most of the big-name cruise lines dock in one or more California cities, such as:

• San Pedro
• Long Beach
• San Diego
• San Francisco
• Santa Barbara
• Monterey
• Catalina Island

From these locations, you can typically board these popular cruise lines:

• Princess
• Royal Caribbean
• Carnival
• Holland America
• Norwegian
• Celebrity
• Disney
• Oceania
• Cunard
• Viking
• Regent Seven Seas
• Sanbourne

Guests love the all-inclusive cruise packages that help keep vacation costs under control, the ability ot enjoy nearly anything you want in these floating cities, and never needing to worry about transportation or driving from one exciting adventure to the next. But as you might already have learned, nothing in this world is perfect. And the sad truth is that your dream vacation can quickly come to an abrupt stop if you suffer a slip and fall while entering or leaving a cruise ship. But please know that the expert legal team at Normandie Law Firm is here to help if you suffered such an unfortunate incident and injuries. Our office staff can be reached 24/7 to provide you with reliable information, guidance, and peace of mind that there is a simple way to resolve your hardships and that our team will handle all the work for you.

What Causes A Slip And Fall While Entering Or Leaving A Cruise Ship
Most people have seen a docked cruise ship either in person or on television and know that these are massive ships. In most cases, when you are going ashore or returning from a day on shore or an excursion, there is a walkway placed between the ship and a dock. This surface is made for passengers to walk on and should be secured to the ship and dock for everyone’s safety. However, there are times when not everything goes as planned, and a guest slips and falls. There are many issues that could arise that would cause a guest to slip and fall on the gangway or entry platform of the ship. Some of the more common hazards during this activity include:

• The gangway is wet and slippery
• There is dirt or other things, like algae, contaminating the surface of the gangway
• The walking surface of the gangway is damaged
• The gangway is not properly secured to the ship or dock, and it begins to move
• The gangway is worn out and broken
• The safety handrails on the gangway are damaged or broken
• The ship’s staff are unnecessarily rushing passengers on or off the ship, requiring them to move too swiftly on the gangway

Common Cruise Ship Slip And Fall Injuries Suffered While Entering Or Leaving The Cruise Ship
It is disheartening to learn that many travelers who are vacationing on a cruise ship suffer severe harm because the safety measures on the ship are not meeting their legal obligation to provide a safe space for guests. These issues that can result in a nasty slip and fall, as well as significant injuries, which include:

• Back, neck, and spinal cord damage
• Compound fractures
• Broken and shattered bones
• Dislocated joints and the destruction of the soft connective tissue of the joints
• Head injuries that range from a skull fracture or severe concussion to a brain bleed or other traumatic brain injuries
• Soft tissue damage and the destruction of nerves in the tissue
• Severe lacerations and puncture wounds
• Damage to internal organs and internal bleeding
• Partial or complete amputations
• Damage to the delicate skin on the face or to the eyes, ears, nose, or mouth

When Is The Cruise Line Liable For Your Slip And Fall Injury Incident?
When you are on a cruise ship, you are a guest on the vessel. It is much like being a guest at a hotel, only this hotel is floating and can require added care and help when passengers are moving about the boat. For example, when there is water on the decks, the staff should warn guests to move with caution or sweep away as much of the water as possible. The staff is also required to focus on maintenance that will help reduce the potential for a slip and fall injury incident. For example, when an area is moist, the staff should be monitoring the floor mats and replacing any that are saturated with water to prevent guests from slipping and falling.

If you feel that the staff on the cruise ship was not working to provide a safe environment for you and that caused or contributed to your slip and fall entering or leaving the cruise ship, please know that the staff at Normandie Law Firm has often worked with victims similar to yourself. Our firm is well-known for its work in Maritime Law, which is the governance for incidents that occur at sea or on a boat that is at sea or in a dock.

If the staff failed to meet their requirements for care and maintenance of the ship, and that negligence caused or contributed to your injury incident, Normandie Law Firm is ready to hold the cruise line accountable and get you the compensation you deserve for the harm you suffered. But please understand that there are some steps you need to be aware of to ensure you follow the proper process to ensure the success of your slip and fall injury lawsuit against the cruise line:

• First- if your injuries are not too severe, take pictures of the area where you feel, what caused the fall, and any immediately noticeable injuries. If they are severe or life-threatening, call for emergency medical care immediately
• Also, it is always wise to gather the contact information of any witnesses to ensure they can be reached should you be forced to take legal action
• Contact the staff on the ship and report the injury incident. At that time, you should inquire about the protocol for reporting and documenting injuries that occur on the ship
• Keep all your documentation together, including any medical reports or images, witness info, images, or video that include the incident, as well as copies of the tickets for the cruise and any other information that was provided to you by the cruise line that could include information about injury reports or processing an injury incident according to the cruise line’s guidelines
• Finally, reach out to Normandie Law Firm to ensure you fully understand your rights under Maritime Law and that you are not confusing state or federal laws that govern incidents occurring on land with a slip and fall that is considered to be at sea.

How Long Do I Have To File My Lawsuit?
Because you were hurt on a cruise ship that was in the water, it is considered to be at sea and is therefore governed by Maritime Law instead of the state or federal laws that typically apply to personal injury cases. In most cases, the Uniform Statute of Limitations for Maritime Torts provided the victim with three years from the date of the incident to file their claim with the appropriate court. However, in the case of a cruise ship, it is vital to read the fine print associated with your ticket for the cruise, as there can be limitations defined in the ticket that apply to filing your personal injury lawsuit. Some lines state that the time limit to file a claim against them for a personal injury will be two years or less. Please reach out to Normandie Law Firm to speak to a skilled lawyer who is intimately familiar with the processes of Maritime Law to ensure you understand your options and any time limits that apply.

What Is Comparative Negligence?
The legal system understands that in many instances, there are several factors that influence an event or incident. For example, in the case of a car accident, there could be several people who share the responsibility for the accident. One driver might have been speeding while another was guilty of running a red light. In this case, the court would determine how much responsibility should be placed on each person involved.

In cases involving a slip and fall while entering or leaving a cruise ship, the blame for the injury incident could be shared between the victim and the cruise line. The staff could have been negligent in keeping the gangway clean and clear of obstacles. But the slip and fall victim could have been disobeying the rules and running on the gangway, which specifically called out to walk slowly on the potentially damp surface.

The court might determine that the victim choosing to run n the steep and possibly wet gangway accounted for 25% of the danger that caused the incident. The remaining 75% of the blame falls on the cruise line for not providing proper care and cleaning of the gangway, which resulted in an overly slippery surface. The resolution for the case could be in favor of the victim. They sought 100,000 in allowable expenses. However, because they were responsible for 25% of the danger or negligence, they are also responsible for 25% of the expense they created. Therefore, the victim would receive $75,000 as the portion of the obligation placed on the cruise line for its negligence that contributed to injuries.

What Is Used To Determine The Compensation For A Slip And Fall While Entering Or Leaving A Cruise Ship?
The actual losses and expenses incurred by the injury victim are what will be used to determine the compensation for the lawsuit. These items are called allowable expenses and cover a wide array of losses and expenses the victim could face as a result of their injuries. Some of the most common items included in these lawsuits are:

• All current and future medical expenses related to the harm suffered in the slip and fall on the cruise ship gangway
• The replacement cost of any personal property destroyed or damaged in the incident
• The victim’s lost income if the injuries they sustained prevented them from working at their regular job until they were fully healed and cleared by their medical care providers to return to work
• The cost of all legal services related to preparing, filing, and litigating the slip and fall injury lawsuit

There can also be less tangible expenses or losses documented and included in the valuation process of the case. The items most frequently included to see added compensation are pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of consortium. Please reach out to the Maritime Law team at Normandie Law Firm to discuss this process in more detail and learn how these items will apply in your lawsuit.

Our Zero Fee Guarantee
When you hire Normandie Law Firm, we take on any case with legal merit and never ask for any upfront payment. Instead, we only get paid once the case is resolved and our client has the compensation, which includes funds to cover their legal fees and expenses. Finally, if your slip and fall while entering or leaving a cruise ship and the lawyer fails to win your case and deliver that much-needed compensation, you owe the firm nothing. Just as we promised, there is a zero fee guarantee that you pay nothing if our legal team fails to win your lawsuit. Please reach out to our office staff today to learn more.

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