When you booked your cruise, you were likely excited to take a big family vacation or to celebrate a milestone like a birthday or an anniversary. You were thinking of beautiful sunsets, sunny beaches, and tropical drinks—not sickness, injury, and hospital visits.
If you or someone you loved was hurt or became ill while on a cruise ship, you need legal help to handle the complexity that comes with a cruise ship injury claim and the maritime laws associated with your case.
Maybe you slipped on a wet floor nobody marked or got food poisoning from contaminated food. You may have gone to the ship’s doctor, only to be told everything was fine when it wasn’t. And now that you’re home, you’re hurting, confused, and wondering what you’re supposed to do next.
That’s where we come in. At Dudley DeBosier Injury Lawyers, we help people from New Orleans who’ve been injured on cruises. We know you’re overwhelmed and have questions. Even if the cruise line tries to toss your claim and experience overboard, we’re here to make sure they don’t succeed.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.
What Kinds of Injuries Happen on Cruises?
Cruise injuries happen more often and, in more ways, than most people realize. No matter how it happened, every injury is serious because it affects your health, your trip, and sometimes your life for years to come.
Here are some of the most common situations we see:
- Slip and Falls: Wet decks, missing warning signs, and uncleaned spills routinely cause slip-and-fall accidents that lead to broken bones, head injuries, and other significant injuries.
- Medical Negligence Onboard: Ship doctors sometimes misdiagnose or overlook serious conditions. Their resources are limited, so it’s possible that issues like heart problems, infections, or internal injuries are missed, and passengers can return home in far worse condition.
- Water Slide and Pool Injuries: Poor maintenance, broken equipment, and lack of supervision contribute to near-drownings and other preventable incidents in these recreational areas.
- Severe Illness Outbreaks: Norovirus, foodborne illness, and other infections spread quickly when sanitation isn’t correctly maintained. These illnesses can leave passengers severely dehydrated and confined to their cabin for days—ultimately landing them in the hospital.
- Assaults or Security Failures: Inadequate security, improper employee screening, and understaffed decks can create opportunities for sexual assaults, thefts, and other violent acts.
- Boarding and Disembarkation Accidents: Steep, slippery, or poorly lit gangways frequently lead to falls that result in head injuries, fractures, and other serious consequences.
- Shore Excursion Accidents: Even when a third-party operates the tour, cruise lines are responsible for ensuring excursions are reasonably safe. Equipment failures, dangerous conditions, or negligent guides can lead to severe injuries.
What Makes Cruise Ship Injury Claims Complex?
Once you begin looking into cruise ship injury cases, it becomes painfully clear they’re very different from typical personal injury claims. And if you’ve tried to make sense of your cruise ticket, you may have run into tiny, almost hidden legal language that leaves you frustrated or discouraged.
Don’t give up. These cases are challenging for a reason and understanding why can help you see exactly why getting an experienced cruise injury lawyer matters.
Different Laws Apply
Cruise ship injuries fall under federal maritime or admiralty law. These rules and procedures aren’t the same as Louisiana state law, and they require a level of experience many injury firms don’t have. We handle these cases regularly and understand how maritime law affects the rights of people in our community.
Your Cruise Ticket Has Fine Print
Hidden in the small print of your ticket are clauses that limit your time to act. Most cruise lines require written notice of your injury within six months and give you one year to file a lawsuit. If those hidden deadlines pass, your right to compensation is gone, no matter how strong your case may be. That’s why early action is essential.
You Likely Can’t Sue in New Orleans
Even if you boarded your cruise in New Orleans, most cruise lines require that any lawsuit be filed in Miami federal court. That means dealing with unfamiliar courts and procedures, often far from home, while you’re still trying to heal.
They Have a Big Team of Lawyers
Major cruise companies like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Disney are massive corporations with large legal teams focused solely on defending injury claims. They know how to delay and diminish cases. Having counsel who can match their experience is critical.
Evidence Disappears Fast
On a cruise ship, evidence doesn’t last. Spills on deck are cleaned quickly, passengers return home to places all across the world after the trip, and surveillance footage may be overwritten in a matter of days. The longer you wait, the harder it becomes to access the evidence needed to support your claim.
What Can You Receive Compensation For?
When we say we’ll fight for compensation, we mean pursuing the full amount you’re entitled to. That may include:
- Medical Expenses: Coverage for all injury-related care, such as treatment onboard, emergency room visits, therapy, medications, and any future medical needs.
- Lost Income and Reduced Earning Ability: Reimbursement for missed work and compensation if your injuries limit your ability to return to your job or reduce your long-term earning capacity.
- Pain and Suffering: Compensation for physical pain, emotional distress, anxiety, and the overall impact your injuries have on your daily life and well-being.
- Wrongful Death Damages: If a loved one dies because of negligence on a cruise ship, eligible family members may seek compensation for funeral costs, final medical expenses, lost income and support, and the emotional loss of companionship.
What You Should Do Right After a Cruise Ship Injury
If you were injured on a cruise, here’s what you need to do to protect yourself:
- Write down everything you remember. While it’s still fresh in your mind, write down exactly what happened. Where were you on the ship? What time was it? What caused your injury? Who else was there? What did the crew members say? What did you say? Write it ALL down.
- Gather every document you have. Find your cruise ticket, your boarding pass, any incident reports they gave you (or note the ones they refused to provide you with), medical records from the ship’s doctor, prescriptions they gave you, and receipts for anything you paid for. Collect everything and keep it in one safe place.
- Please don’t talk to their insurance company. The cruise line’s insurance adjusters may call you. Like insurance companies calling about any personal injury claim, they’ll sound friendly and concerned at first. They’ll say they want to help and ask you to describe what happened. Do not talk to them. You can be polite and tell them you’re consulting with a lawyer. Everything you say can be used to reduce what they pay you.
- Don’t accept any offer from them. They might offer you a refund of your cruise fare or a voucher for a future cruise. That’s not going to cut it. They might provide you with a small cash settlement if you sign a form promising not to sue them. Don’t sign anything. Once you accept their offer and sign their papers, that’s probably all you’ll ever get. You’ll see your medical bills pile up, and not their offer won’t even come close to paying for it.
- Call us ASAP. The deadlines we mentioned are real, and they’re strict. Calling us as soon as possible can protect your rights. We gather evidence before it disappears, and get right to work building your case. Waiting doesn’t help anyone except the cruise line.
How Dudley DeBosier Helps You
Recovering from a cruise ship injury is overwhelming. It’s physically, financially, and emotionally stressful. The legal process shouldn’t add to that stress. Our job is to take the burden off you so you can focus on healing while we handle everything else. Here’s what you get when we handle your case:
- We start investigating immediately. We secure incident reports, preserve video footage, locate witnesses, gather medical records, and document conditions before critical evidence disappears.
- We handle all communication. We handle all communication with insurance adjusters, cruise line attorneys, and any other parties involved. You won’t have to manage calls, paperwork, or deadlines. We’ll do it for you.
- We understand maritime law. Cruise injury cases operate under unique rules and strict timelines. Our experience in maritime law allows us to advocate on your behalf in federal courts and build a strong, well-supported claim.
- We stand up to big cruise lines. We routinely go up against major cruise companies and their legal teams. Their size doesn’t intimidate us at all. Our team of lawyers is profoundly adept at protecting your rights.
- We offer a No Fee Guarantee®. There are no upfront costs to contact our firm or entrust us with your claim. Our fees are contingent upon the outcome of your case.
Contact Our New Orleans Cruise Ship Injury Lawyers
You didn’t expect your vacation to end with you or your loved ones in a world of pain. You just wanted a vacation.
Remember that you have legal rights, even if they are a bit confusing. What you need at this point is guidance you can trust. Our team takes time to listen and explain your options clearly. We have the knowledge and experience to handle the unique challenges of cruise ship injury cases.
Contact our team here at Dudley DeBosier Injury Lawyers today. The consultation is free, with no pressure or obligation—just an opportunity to discuss what happened and how we can help. If we find you have a legal right to file a claim, we will fight aggressively for the maximum compensation you need.
