Injured on a Norwegian Cruise Ship?

Norwegian cruise lines like many other cruise line companies operates substantial business activities in the United States, specifically Miami, Florida. Our cruise ship accident injury attorneys have filed a number of legal claims against Norwegian vessels based on negligent acts, omissions, and preventable accidents. Many Norwegian cruise line vessels, like the "Norwegian Sky", "Norwegian Sun", Norwegian Spirit and the Norwegian Jewel are more like floating amusement parks than ships. To maximize profits each cruise ship contains as many passengers as possible and a passenger to crew member ratio that is disproportionate overall. This combination often leads to serious on-board injuries to both passenger and crew. Our personal injury attorneys have represented seriously injured passengers against a number of Norwegian vessels. We know the questions to ask and where to find the answers. We also won't hesitate to bring your case to trial if a fair settlement is not made.

Injured passengers even practicing lawyers do not realize that the law that applies to cruise ship accident cases is complex. Federal maritime law and the law applicable to cruise ship injury cases are governed by a numerous converging legal issues that may involve United States federal law, federal statutes, general maritime law, international regulations, treaties, foreign, state, international or even foreign procedural law. Gerson & Schwartz, PA attorneys are a strong voice for injured passengers and injury victims. If you or a loved one are seriously injured on a Norwegian ship, don't wait. Our experienced legal staff will work quickly on your claim to help ensure the maximum amount of compensation for you and your family. Our vast resources and ample know-how make us the right choice for people injured on a Norwegian Cruise Lines ship. If you are injured on a Norwegian ship you should do the following:

• Take pictures and video of the accident scene;
• Obtain a copy of your passenger injury statement;
• Obtain a copy of the incident report;
• Request a copy of your ship board medical records;
• Get the names and phone numbers of all potential witnesses;
• Go back to the accident scene and document the condition of the area where you were injured;

The Breakaway-class vessels in this fleet, like the Getaway and Escape, weigh around 150,000 tons and carry over 4,000 passengers. For various reasons, many Norwegian cruise ships are somewhat ill-equipped to deal with serious injuries which often occur on board. Some common Norwegian cruise ship injuries include:

• Slip, Trip and Falls: dangerous floor surfaces, lack of adequate slip resistant surfaces, and improper securing of ship equipment can lead to serious injuries.

• Rape and Sexual Assault: Most people are unaware of the lack of training, and number of qualified security personnel, including staffing and manning levels to ensure passenger safety. Unfortunately, cruise ship rapes and sexual assaults are common crimes that occur at sea. Our firm is at the forefront of combating the cruise line industry in court and in Congress for tougher passenger safety measures.

• Defective Ship Equipment: Form malfunctioning automatic sliding doors, to foreign objects on the floor, dangerous metal thresholds, to loose stairway rails, and faulty steps often cause serious injuries.

• Medical Malpractice: Despite ships are marketed as "state of the art" some on-board medical facilities are from it. Until recently, cruise ships were not even legally responsible for malpractice by cruise ships doctors. Our Norwegian injury lawyers often find that many ships are equipped with old medical machinery, like old x-ray machines and are simply not equipped to deal with serious injuries like heart attacks, strokes, and other unexpected events. Norwegian cruise ships should not have state of the art medical and safety facilities too.

Damages in these cases include compensation for economic losses, such as lost wages, and non-economic losses, including emotional distress. Punitive damages are also available, in some cases in cases where it can be established that there was reckless disregard for the life and safety of others, intentional harms conduct that is considered willful, wanton or outrageous.

Regardless of the flag that it is waving and the country the ship is registered in, all vessels that carry U.S. residents must comply with the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea and other international law. SOLAS establishes rigorous standards for:

• Crew competency
• Passenger Safety
• Fire safety
• Lifesaving equipment, and
• Vessel integrity

Any shortcoming in any covered area that results in passenger injury may be the basis for a negligence lawsuit. Furthermore, under the 1984 Shipping Act, Norwegian and other cruise lines owe their passengers an enhanced duty of care to guard them against physical harm from on-board accidents, negligent crew members, and adverse weather. The owners are also obliged to safely deliver their passengers to their destinations.

Important time limitations may apply. Most cruise ship tickets contain fine print regarding choice of law and notice of claim. Many times, the contractual provisions designates Florida federal courts as the appropriate legal forum for maritime injury cases. Furthermore, many companies include a provision that injury victims must notify the company about their claims in writing within six months, and failure to do so may result in dismissal of the case. Failure to abide by these legal requirements may result in your claim being time barred. Rely on Experienced Attorneys That Specialize In Cruise Ship Injury Cases

At Gerson & Schwartz, PA, we routinely handle serious to catastrophic cruise ship injury cases. If you were injured on a Norwegian ship or another cruise line, contact us today for a free consultation.