Articles Posted in Cruise Ship Accidents/Incidents

Cruise vacations have always been popular in South Florida, but recent data indicates that they are becoming even more so since the unfortunate lockdowns of the COVID pandemic. According to industry researchers at Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the cruise tourism forecast for 2023 was predicted to exceed 2019 levels by 6%. These figures would mean around 31.5 passengers took cruises for 2023, though exact data is still being compiled. To support the industry, cruise operators employ approximately 200,000 workers globally. 

The vast majority of these employees do quality work for their positions, but there are some that do not act in the best interests of cruise passengers. Through intentional conduct or negligence, injuries can happen. Fortunately, you may have grounds to pursue the cruise line for damages if you were hurt. A Miami cruise ship accident lawyer can assist with your claim, but some information on liability is useful for understanding your rights.

Liability and Potential Parties 

Unless you are a naturalized United States citizen, it is difficult to appreciate how easy it is to travel to most countries with a U.S. passport. In many countries, you can simply buy a modestly priced visa when you arrive at the airport, and some countries will simply stamp your passport and allow you to enter without a visa. When you travel to Canada or Mexico by ground transportation, you can simply show your passport card instead of getting your passport book stamped. Of course, no matter what country you are from, it is easy to understand how not having your passport with you is an emergency. Perhaps you know someone who misplaced a passport when traveling abroad and made a frantic call to the embassy to get a replacement. Several years ago, a child suffered serious complications from a minor injury he sustained on a cruise ship because of the cruise ship’s policy about passengers bringing passports. If a cruise ship company puts you in a dangerous situation that causes or worsens your injuries, contact a Miami cruise ship accident lawyer.

Child’s Minor Injury Turns Serious Because of Lack of Access to Medical Facilities

Although everything would change a month later, the cruise industry was still in full swing in February 2020. Three-year-old Roman Mejias and his mother, Nicole, went on a Gulf of Mexico cruise operated by Norwegian Cruise Line. The cruise line advised passengers who were United States citizens not to bring their passports. While on the cruise, Roman accidentally scraped his eyelid while playing with a toy car. His mother applied over-the-counter antibiotic ointment, but the scratch became infected, and eventually, Roman’s eyelid swelled to five times its normal size. Nicole asked the ship’s administrators to make port in Mexico so that she could take Roman to a hospital, but they refused since Roman and his mother did not have their passports. Nicole even called the U.S. consulate in Mexico, but she was unable to arrange for Roman to visit a hospital in Mexico.

What can go wrong on a cruise ship? A lot of things, and that is why cruise ships have infirmaries. Children fall down after running on pool decks. Raw oysters and rare steaks cause foodborne illness. Anyone would get sick after a certain number of rum runners, especially if they consumed them after an unlimited buffet full of escargot, conch fritters, and cheesecake, which they attended only a few hours after a champagne brunch. Of course, cruises also carry hazards that are too big for the infirmary to deal with, such as shipwrecks and mutinies. Shore excursions are, in theory, the least risky part of going on a cruise, if only because the hospital facilities on dry land are much more advanced. In fact, cruise ships should make emergency stops at nearby ports when a passenger becomes severely ill and requires medical treatment beyond what the ship’s infirmary can provide. If your injuries got worse because a cruise ship’s infirmary failed to provide appropriate treatment, contact a Miami cruise ship accident lawyer.

Anteater Scratches are Not Among the Most Common Reasons for Visits to the Ship’s Infirmary

Going on a Disney cruise is about the least adventuresome way to experience South America. If it is a true adventure you are seeking, you go hiking in the Amazon rainforest or mountain climbing in the Andes. People go on Disney cruises because they want some peace and quiet, punctuated by champagne brunches, not because they want to come face to snout with wild animals.