Cruise Ship Injuries

Each year, thousands of people board cruise ships in Tampa, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami and Port Canaveral to travel around the world looking for adventure and fun. Unfortunately there are times when a cruise line is negligent and some passengers suffer serious injuries on their cruises or daytime excursions. There have been reports of passengers contracting cruise ship viruses, injuries in slip and fall accidents, fires, collisions, negligent security as well as people who are injured by a failure of the cruise ship crew to provide appropriate medical care when a passenger becomes ill or injured.

Our Florida cruise negligence attorneys are committed to helping victims obtain compensation from the companies who do not provide a safe environment for passengers on cruises. Most lawsuits relating to cruise liners departing from Florida must be filed in Florida. Specific information about where you can file the lawsuit and the statute of limitations that applies can be found on the back of your cruise ship ticket, but the Cruise Ship Attorneys at Law Offices of Whittel & Melton have the ability to handle cases throughout the State of Florida and stand ready to represent clients locally from Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Sarasota, Lakeland, New Port Richey, Spring Hill, Brooksville and Inverness. However, because cruise liner injury and death cases often time require litigation in Florida, we are able to help clients across the United States and abroad. We handle cruise ship personal injury cases involving Disney Cruises, all Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL), Royal Caribbean International and Princess Cruises.

Whittel & Melton, LLC is ready and willing to represent clients and families from beyond Florida. As our local cruise ships have become more popular over the years, so has the distance with which those customers take their injuries home. Please contact us if you’d like to refer a cruise ship or tourist injury or death matter to our firm. We are happy to discuss co-counsel and/or referral arrangements on a case-by-case basis.

• Slip and fall accidents on wet or uneven surfaces, sudden elevation changes due to cruise ship maneuvering and/or poor assembly, maintenance and construction.
• Assault by staff, crewmembers or other guests and passengers: Including Rape, Sexual Battery, Sexual Assault, and Fights.
• Brain Injury, Back Injury, Neck Injury, Shoulder and Knee Injury, Spinal Cord Injury, Loss of Vision, Loss of Hearing.
• Swimming Pool, Wave Pool and/or Water slide accidents.

Unlike other types of negligence matters, in most cases, a cruise ship passenger ticket creates a 1(one) year statute of limitations on any type of personal injury claim versus the cruise line AND requires the matter be brought in local or federal court in Florida. There are few exceptions, but that is the industry norm.

While we seek a fair settlement in every case we handle, we build every case with an eye toward trial so that when cruise lines, and the insurance companies that represent them, do not make a fair settlement offer, we can fight for you in court. In order to press our opponents, we aggressively build our cases from the very beginning.

Our representation does not cost our clients anything until they are first compensated for their injuries. If you have been injured on a cruise ship, please contact us for a consultation.