Lawyers for Cruise Ship Coronavirus Lawsuits
The coronavirus has spread across the globe and caused over 3.5 million cases and almost 240,000 deaths as of the writing of this article. This has been a particular problem for many cruise passengers, as cruise ships have been one of the most discussed places that coronavirus was recorded to spread. If you or a loved one was on a cruise ship when they contracted coronavirus and COVID-19, you might be entitled to sue the cruise line for any negligence that allowed the virus to spread.
The lawyers for cruise ship coronavirus lawsuits at Rivkind Margulies & Rivkind, P.A. are some of the preeminent cruise ship injury lawyers in the United States, and we have been representing victims of cruise ship injuries and illness for decades. For help with your potential injury case or a lawsuit for the death of a loved one who contracted coronavirus on a cruise ship, call us today at (866) 386-1762. Our attorneys offer free, no-obligation legal consultations.
Holding Cruise Ships Responsible for Coronavirus and COVID-19 Cases on Board
If you got coronavirus on a cruise ship, you might be entitled to compensation. The progression of this virus from something unknown to a major worldwide health issue has been very fast. As things have changed, standards about what is safe and what is dangerous have also changed. At a certain point, cruise lines knew of the serious risks involved with putting passengers on ships during the coronavirus pandemic. At that point – or perhaps even earlier – continuing to expose passengers to the potential risk of coronavirus should be considered negligent.
Some allegations against cruise ships have included allegations of fraud and misinformation. In these cases, leaked emails allege that the cruise line instructed employees to tell passengers that temperatures on Caribbean cruises would halt the spread of the virus and that the passengers had nothing to worry about. This kind of misinformation could have induced passengers to go on cruise ships and face unnecessary risks.
Conditions on ships could also be patently unsafe amid a viral outbreak. On a ship, some of the air is filtered back through the ship instead of having air conditioners and air filtration systems take in air from outside. This could mean that, even if a ship’s captain ordered quarantines aboard the vessel, passengers could have been at risk from the spread of COVID-19 through air ducts as well as essential workers, food trays, and other transmission vectors. Negligent quarantine decisions could justify lawsuits against the cruise ship company.
Another issue that might have caused exposed coronavirus patients to suffer substantial health consequences or even death comes from negligent responses to cases on board and failure to properly evacuate passengers. In one reported case, a passenger was left aboard a cruise ship when he needed to be sent to the ICU for treatment with a ventilator, despite the fact that other patients were evacuated by ambulance earlier that day. If the cruise ship failed to get affected passengers the medical care they needed or get them to a facility that could treat them, they should be held responsible – especially if the ship was at port and was permitted by local authorities to let passengers go ashore.
Suing a Cruise Ship for Coronavirus Injuries and Death
If any of the above examples of negligence caused you or a loved one to be exposed to the coronavirus, you might be entitled to sue the cruise line. Cruise lines owe their passengers certain duties, and many cases of coronavirus exposure involved negligent warnings, negligent passenger screening, negligent responses to the outbreak, and negligent attempts to get passengers the care they needed. This kind of negligence might entitle you to sue the cruise line for any and all effects of exposure, including the death of a loved one.
When you sue a cruise ship for exposure to coronavirus, your lawyer will need to show that their negligence directly contributed to your exposure. If you would have been exposed to the virus anyway, even if the cruise ship did everything right, then the case might not hold up. Our attorneys can explain this requirement and fight to present your evidence in the right way to prove this fact.
To receive compensation for your injuries or the wrongful death of a loved one, you must also provide evidence of what damages you faced. Our lawyers will help collect hospital bills, financial records, and other evidence to prove these damages.
Damages in a Coronavirus Lawsuit against a Cruise Ship
Our attorneys will work to prove the damages you faced because of your COVID-19 exposure and fight to make the responsible cruise line pay for your injuries and illness.
If you required intensive medical care because of your exposure, you could be facing expensive medical bills. Our lawyers will fight to have these costs covered. At this time, information is not yet available as to whether COVID-19 will cause permanent respiratory issues for some patients, but we will also fight for any such damages for future medical care related to the virus.
A lot of people are out of work during the coronavirus pandemic, but some people are unable to work specifically because of negligent exposure to the coronavirus. Our cruise ship lawyers will fight to seek compensation for whatever wages you lost because you were negligently exposed to coronavirus on a cruise ship.
COVID-19 can also come with intense pain and suffering. Even though it might be hard to explain to someone how this virus has affected your quality of life and physical and mental well-being, it is important to seek damages for these non-economic damages as well.
If available, we will also seek additional punitive damages from the cruise ship. These additional damages could result in a high-value court case. We will also fight to seek additional damages for the loss of a loved one, such as burial and funeral expenses, lost companionship, lost household services, and more.
Call Our Coronavirus Cruise Ship Lawyers for a Free Case Consultation
The coronavirus pandemic has affected the lives of nearly everyone on the planet, and cruise ship passengers are some of the victims at the forefront of this issue. If you caught coronavirus because of a cruise ship’s negligence, Rivkind Margulies & Rivkind, P.A.’s lawyers for cruise ship coronavirus lawsuits might be able to help. Call us today to schedule a free legal consultation about coronavirus exposure on a cruise ship or the death of a loved one who caught COVID-19 on a cruise ship. Our number is (866) 386-1762.
