Attorney for Cruise Ship Overboard Accidents + Missing Persons
Having a loved one who was injured during a fall from a cruise ship or having a loved one who was lost at sea can be incredibly difficult for your family. Our attorneys for cruise ship overboard accidents and missing persons have represented families after their loved ones suffered serious or deadly injuries in a fall from a cruise ship, and we have represented families of overboard accident victims who were not returned.
If your loved one was on a cruise and went missing or suffered serious injuries or death in a fall from the deck, contact Rivkind Margulies & Rivkind, P.A. today. Our attorneys take these kinds of cases and sue cruise ships and cruise lines to help the victims and their families get compensation. For a free legal consultation, contact us today at (866) 386-1762.
Injuries and Death from Falling Overboard on a Cruise Ship
If a loved one fell overboard from a cruise ship, it is likely that the injuries were deadly. Cruise ships are incredibly tall, and a fall from a high deck to the water below is often deadly. If the fall was not deadly and you or a loved one survived this kind of fall, you could be entitled to substantial compensation.
When these falls occur, drowning injuries are often possible. However, traumatic brain injury and serious blunt force trauma to the head and internal organs is often the primary cause of injury. If you survived this kind of fall, you could face serious pain and suffering, medical expenses, and lost wages that you need compensation for.
Missing Persons Cases from Cruise Ship Passengers Lost at Sea
If a loved one went missing from a cruise ship, it can be incredibly nerve-wracking. You may be unable to truly confirm their death, but at some point, the law allows you to legally recognize them as deceased. In many cases, there might be evidence of how your loved one went overboard and what happened leading up to the accident. This evidence can help you hold the cruise ship company liable for your loss.
Damages for Wrongful Death and Missing Persons on a Cruise Ship
If your loved one was killed or has gone missing and is presumed dead, your family might suffer substantial damages that you need compensation for.
One primary area of damages you can claim will be compensatory damages for the harms you and your family now face. With a lost loved one, you might have lost household income, funeral and burial/memorial expenses, lost inheritances, and other financial damages. You could also face economic harm in the form of lost household services that you might now need to hire someone to cover. You could also face intangible harms, such as the grief of losing a loved one, lost companionship, lost spousal services, and lost counsel. These damages can all be compensated in a wrongful death lawsuit for a loved one who died in an overboard or missing persons accident on a cruise ship.
Holding the Cruise Ship Accountable for Passengers Falling Overboard
Passengers usually do not fall overboard by random chance. Handrails, safety nets, and other physical barriers are usually installed to prevent passengers from falling overboard. High decks with a dangerous risk of falling should also have restricted access, and decks that are dangerous or slippery from bad weather or sea spray should also be restricted and cleaned to prevent possible fall injuries. If the premises on the ship are not safe for passengers, and your loved one fell overboard because of that, the cruise line can often be held liable.
The cruise line should also be held liable for its own mistakes in overserving alcohol to passengers to a point where they could be in danger of falling overboard. Cruise ship bars and restaurants should never overserve passengers so much that they are unable to take care of themselves or safely walk back to their cabin. Certainly, many people like to get drunk and have a good time on a cruise ship, but waiters and bartenders should be trained to recognize the point where they become a danger to themselves and others and stop serving them. If someone fell overboard because they were overserved, the cruise ship might be held liable for their death.
Other accidents and problems could also lead to an overboard accident, which the cruise ship might share responsibility for. It is conceivable that someone might have fallen overboard during an assault or fight. If another passenger became aggressive and pushed someone overboard, the cruise ship could be liable for negligent security if the cruise ship’s security staff failed to intervene. If a passenger was not only overserved at a bar but was drugged by another passenger or a member of the crew, the ship could also be liable for this kind of behavior.
If the cruise ship failed to institute proper search protocols or look for the missing person, they might also share responsibility for their death.
Many of these issues of fault and liability can be very heavily dependent on the facts. It is important to have a cruise ship accident lawyer review any evidence – be it witness testimony, security footage, or bills and tabs – to help you understand whether the cruise ship can be held liable.
Call Our Attorneys for Families of Cruise Ship Passengers Lost at Sea or Killed in Overboard Accidents
If your loved one was killed after falling overboard, or if they are still missing at sea after an overboard accident, our attorneys might be able to help you seek justice. Rivkind Margulies & Rivkind’s attorneys for cruise ship overboard accidents and missing persons are some of the preeminent maritime injury and wrongful death lawyers in the U.S. For help with your potential case, contact our law offices today at (866) 386-1762.
