MSC Cruise Ship Injury Lawyers

If you were or a loved one were injured on an MSC cruise, your legal right and remedies need to be evaluated by special lawyers. Accidents and injuries on an MSC cruise ship, whether the MSC Divina, MSC Seaside, MSC Meraviglia or others at sea, require careful analysis of case facts, investigation by experienced cruise ship injury attorneys. Gerson & Schwartz, lawyers are widely regarded as one of the nation's leading cruise ship injury law firms. Our lawyers have experience litigating accident, serious injury, rape and sexual assault claims against MSC cruises worldwide.

Founded by Philip M. Gerson in 1970, the firm's attorneys have more than 100 years of combined experience representing injured passengers, crew members, for serious injury cases against major cruise lines including MSC Cruises. The firm's work inside and outside the courtroom has earned national recognition from Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America, and Best Law Firms by U.S. News & World Report for Admiralty and Maritime Law. Gerson & Schwartz has also earned Martindale-Hubbell's AV rating and accreditation from the Better Business Bureau. The firm's attorneys are known for aggressive litigation and trial advocacy, including more than 350 jury trials to verdict.

MSC stands for Mediterranean Shipping Company and is the world's largest privately-owned cruise line. Unlike many other cruise line operators MSC cruises is a family run organization and is not publicly traded like Carnival or Royal Caribbean. 2025 was a busy year for the third largest such company in the world, behind Carnival and Royal Caribbean. MSC launched new terminals in Barcelona, Galveston, and Miami. Additionally, MSC ordered four new super-cruisers that should set sail in 2030. Like many other cruise lines MSC cruises also operates a considerable number of vessels out of the port of Miami and Port Everglades in Miami, Florida. MSC also requires injured cruise ship passengers file personal injury lawsuits and claims in federal court in Miami within one year of the incident date.

So, no matter where you live or the port of call, lawsuits are required to be filed here in Miami, Florida regardless of the state you live in.

Since so many MSC ships carry so many people to so many places, serious injury accidents are inevitable and, in most cases, avoidable. Employee negligence (lack of care) causes most cruise ship injury accidents. Simple principles of responsibility dictate that MSC is legally and financially responsible for such injuries. When serious injuries occur on cruise ships or in ports, the cruise ship lawyers at Gerson & Schwartz works hard to ensure that MSC accepts responsibility for their negligence. This responsibility usually means paying compensation for injuries.

• Slip, trip, and fall accidents
• Cruise ship crime and negligent security claims
• Rape and sexual assault claims aboard MSC cruise ships
• Assaults by passengers or MSC crew members
• Injuries caused by defective or dangerous ship equipment
• Cruise ship medical malpractice and onboard medical negligence claims
• Wrongful death case
• Medical negligence by MSC doctors and medical staff
• MSC shore excursion and excursion accident lawsuits
• Gangway, embarkation, and disembarkation accidents aboard MSC vessels
• MSC crew member arbitration and Jones Act-related claims
• Tender boat and water shuttle accidents involving MSC Cruises

Cruise ship injuries including accidents on MSC cruises are not subject to state law. Under the passenger ticket contract, general maritime law of the United Sates controls most onboard cruise ship injury claims including where lawsuits must be filed. Deadlines and court procedures differs significantly from state law claims. Injured passengers have one year from the date of incident to file a lawsuit and must put the cruise line within 6 months of the claim.

Local lawyers that are not licensed to practice law in federal court in Miami, Florida are the law only attorneys that can help. Time frames are shorter and deadlines are shorter and deadlines to file claims are strictly enforced. Lawsuits are usually required to be filed in federal court in Miami, Florida. Injured MSC passengers can never act too soon. Unfortunately, some act too late. Most importantly, injury victims need an lawyers with experience in maritime law injury claims especially handling MSC cruise ship accidents because MSC has their own team of lawyers working to defend its interests. Without skilled legal representation, injury victims have an uphill battle obtaining fair compensation for their injuries,

Passengers on MSC vessel may suffer serious injuries in a wide variety of accidents caused by dangerous conditions or failures to properly protect guests onboard. Some of the most common MSC cruise ship injury claims involve slip, trip, and fall accidents caused by wet decks, slippery flooring surfaces, foreign substances, poor drainage, uneven walking surfaces, inadequate warnings, and dangerous stairways or gangways. These accidents frequently occur in high-traffic areas such as pool decks, buffet areas, dance floors, lounges, restaurants, elevators, and passenger walkways throughout the vessel.

Other MSC cruise ship injury cases involve falling objects, defective ship equipment, elevator and automatic door malfunctions, inadequate lighting, negligent housekeeping, unsafe recreational activities, and dangerous conditions aboard water attractions, pools, spas, and fitness areas. Passengers may also suffer catastrophic injuries during embarkation or disembarkation accidents, tender boat incidents, and shore excursions sold, promoted, or endorsed by the cruise line.

In some cases, passengers are harmed due to negligent security, inadequate surveillance, improper background screening, or failures to prevent criminal conduct aboard the vessel. Cruise lines may be held responsible for assaults, sexual assaults, and other violent acts committed by crew members or passengers when inadequate security measures or negligent hiring and supervision contributed to the incident. Our firm aggressively investigates these claims using maritime security experts, former law enforcement personnel, and cruise industry consultants. Passengers may also sustain serious injuries as a result of delayed or inadequate onboard medical care, failures to properly respond to emergencies, or dangerous ship design conditions, including inherently slippery flooring materials and defective deck surfaces.

Victims injured aboard an MSC cruise ship may be entitled to substantial financial compensation under maritime law. Depending on the facts and circumstances of the case, damages may include compensation for past and future medical expenses, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, pain and suffering, emotional distress, psychological harm, permanent disability, scarring, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life.

At Gerson & Schwartz, P.A., our MSC cruise ship accident lawyers handle injury cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning there are no attorney's fees unless we collect. There are also no upfront costs. Selecting a maritime law firm with extensive experience litigating cruise ship injury claims in federal court is essential to maximizing financial recovery and protecting your legal rights MSC cruises when serious injuries occur.

• Reports medical center and report what happened
• Fill out an injury report or passenger injury statement
• Document everything and conditions with photographs and video
• Obtain names and contact details of witnesses and crew members
• Contact a cruise ship lawyer at Gerson and Schwartz

Above all, contact an MSC cruise ship injury lawyer at Gerson & Schwartz today. The sooner you speak with an attorney, the better your chances of preserving evidence and meeting strict deadlines.

Our MSC cruise ship injury lawyers work with highly specialized experts from multiple disciplines, including accident reconstruction, human factors specialists, engineers, leading experts in medicine, orthopedics, psychiatrists, psychologists, maritime security experts, former law enforcement personnel, and cruise industry safety consultants to investigate serious passenger injuries aboard MSC cruise ships. In every case, our law firm evaluates dangerous shipboard conditions, reviews surveillance systems, investigates defective equipment, unsafe deck conditions, and other vessel safety vulnerabilities that place passengers at risk.

When passengers are injured or victimized by crew members or other passengers aboard an MSC cruise ship, our attorneys conduct extensive investigations and work with law enforcement to uncover the truth and hold MSC and other cruise line accountable. Our job in every case is to get a full cup of legal justice. If hired to represent your, we will act quickly if hired to be your MSC cruise injury attorneys.

Accident investigations often include vessel inspections, preservation and review of surveillance footage, witness interviews, crew background investigations, security protocol analysis, review of internal safety records, incident reports, and consultation with leading maritime experts. Our goal is to identify every contributing factor involved in the incident and aggressively pursue justice and for full financial compensation for injured MSC cruise passengers and their families.

If you or a loved one were injured aboard an MSC cruise ship, do not delay seeking legal representation. Cruise ship injury claims are governed by maritime law and strict contractual deadlines that may significantly limit the time to bring a claim.

Contact the MSC cruise ship injury attorneys at Gerson & Schwartz, P.A. today to discuss your case. Our Miami-based maritime lawyers represent injured passengers nationwide in claims against major cruise lines.