How Victims of the Alaska Royal Princess Cruise Accident Can File a Claim
Off the coast of Alaska on May 13, two tour planes collided in mid-air. This accident caused death or serious injuries to all 14 individuals involved in the accident. Victims of these kinds of crashes and the surviving family of those killed in the accident may be entitled to file a maritime lawsuit against the plane operators, the companies that controlled the planes, and the cruise companies that sold tickets to these plane excursions.
As of the writing of this article, the investigations around these cases are still underway. What is known is that the cruise ship which promoted and sold tickets to these plane excursions, the Royal Princess, would fall under maritime jurisdiction in the United States, and injury victims may be able to sue with the help of an experienced authority in maritime law. If you or a loved one was injured in this plane crash or a similar accident, contact the maritime injury lawyers at Rivkind Margulies & Rivkind, P.A. today for a free legal consultation. Our number is (305) 374-0565.
Suing Princess Cruises for Sight-Seeing Airplane Accidents
Typically, airplane accidents would fall under the jurisdiction of the state where the accident took place. In these cases, you may need to file your case in another state to get the compensation you need for an accident. In this tragic airplane crash, the case falls squarely within the rules of United States maritime and admiralty law because these planes were apart of a Royal Princess sponsored shore excursion when they took off. Our maritime injury lawyers explain how these cases differ from other injury cases and what you have to do to file a lawsuit against Princess Cruises and the Royal Princess for your injuries.
Filing a Maritime Law Case
First, it is important to understand that maritime law works a bit differently than regular state law. In these cases, maritime law is what governs the case regardless of where the case happens. Instead of changing the law from state to state, these cases follow the same laws throughout the country. Additionally, because maritime law is so specialized, it is vital to hire an experienced authority in maritime law instead of hiring a normal personal injury lawyer.
Where to Sue for the Royal Princess Plane Crash
Second, this case occurred in Alaska, but the case might actually best be filed in Florida. Because the ship, the Royal Princess, docks in Florida, it would be “at home” in Florida and can actually be sued there instead of in all the way up in Alaska. Rivkind Margulies & Rivkind is based in Miami, Florida, so our attorneys are perfectly situated to handle your lawsuit.
Suing Princess Cruises for Floatplane Accidents
Third, the planes that crashed in this case were “floatplanes” that can land and take off from water. Because these planes were associated with the Royal Princess, any injuries or crashes on these planes can be filed against their operators, the ship, and the cruise company that owns the ship – Princess Cruises. However, before you can receive compensation for your injuries, you must prove that these parties were responsible for the crash.
As of this time, it is difficult to tell how the crash occurred or whose fault the crash was. However, our attorneys can investigate the crash and the facts leading up to the accident and help build a strong case theory to get you the compensation you need. Planes of the type involved in the crash have been involved in other crashes, and our attorneys will vigorously pursue any claims against potentially responsible parties to get you the damages you need in your case.
Damages for Injuries in the Royal Princess Cruise Floatplane Crash
Unfortunately, many of the victims of this crash were killed. These victims’ families may be entitled to substantial compensation to pay for their economic losses and the tragic loss these families suffered in the accident. Other victims who survived the crash may face life-altering injuries that also entitle them to substantial damages. Our attorneys explain the damages you can receive in a maritime injury case like this one.
Typically, the families of the deceased are entitled to a range of damages for the loss of a loved one. First, there are damages available for any economic injuries you suffer. This includes the cost of end-of-life medical care, funeral and burial expenses, and other costs resulting from the accident and death. The loss of a loved one can also mean lost wages and support for your family as well as lost services, counsel, companionship, and other damages. These costs can be calculated and projected into the future, often resulting in high damages. Talk to a lawyer about the damages you may be entitled to if a loved one was killed in a cruise ship accident or tour plane accident.
If you survived the accident, our attorneys may be able to seek damages for the harms you suffered. This can include financial compensation for the medical expenses the injury caused you, including the cost of emergency medical care and ongoing care. We can also seek damages for any lost wages you suffered if the injury caused you to miss work. If you are unable to return to work, we can claim damages for your lost earning capacity and lost future wages. Finally, damages for pain and suffering may be available in your case to pay you back for the severe pain, the mental suffering, and the emotional distress of the accident.
Are Bigger Cruise Ships Safer?
The term the bigger the better applies to the cruise ship industry where we are seeing larger and larger cruise ships being built every day. In 2010, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines added the Oasis of the Seas, which was labeled the world’s largest cruise ship, measuring 1,187 feet long with seven different themes of “neighborhoods.” The cost was reported to be in the area of 1.5 billion dollars. The ship received much attention, containing 16 decks with a capacity to hold more than 5,000 passengers and another 2,000 crew members.
Now in 2016, we have Harmony of the Seas, Royal Caribbean’s newest ship claiming that title. This ship is even better according to Royal Caribbean, carrying 6,780 passengers and 2,100 crew members. The ship has 18 decks, 20 restaurants and a 10-story water slide.
However, along with the increased boom in the cruise ship industry, comes increasing problems. Over the past several months, we have been retained by passengers in various types of passenger claims. They involve slip-and-fall accidents, accidents occurring during supervised shipboard activities, man overboard incidents, injuries during shore excursions, injuries from the ship’s waterpark slides, and cruise ship drownings. Additionally, we have seen reports of missing passengers and crew members, sexual assaults and other crimes happening on board these cruise ships, which only seems to be getting worse.
The cruise ship industry has always pointed to statistics that show the crime rate is less aboard a cruise ship than in a city, comparing themselves to a city. It is true that cruise ships are in a sense floating cities, and therefore you can have crime as you can have in any city or town in the United States. However, cities and towns have a police force which the general population is well aware of, and the police force tries to make its presence felt as much as possible. This leads to less crime. On board the cruise ship, the cruise ship companies attempt to down play the need for a strong presence of a police force on board the ship, which results in the lack of a visible police force designed to deter criminal acts.
Criminal acts should be very rare onboard a cruise ship, other than possibly petty crimes such as theft. Significant crimes such as sexual assaults should also be rare. However, we have seen disclosure of an increased numbers of sexual assaults and disappearances aboard cruise ships over the years. Why? Is there a need for additional security, possibly a more visible police aboard the ship to deter criminal activity?
Call Our Maritime Injury Lawyers for a Free Legal Consultation
If you or a loved one was involved in the recent Princess Cruises plane accident, call Rivkind Margulies & Rivkind today to schedule a free legal consultation. Our Maritime injury and wrongful death lawyers may be able to file your claim and fight to get you the compensation you need for your injuries. For a free legal consultation on your case, call our law offices today at (305) 374-0565.
