Were you or a loved one hurt on a cruise ship? You could be entitled to financial compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. A New Port Richey cruise ship accident lawyer at Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers can fight to make sure you get every dollar you deserve.
Our team has 50 years of combined experience in personal injury law. We’ve recovered more than $100 million in compensation to help clients like you–and are ready to stand up for what you deserve.
Our board-certified trial lawyers are standing by to take your call at (727) 815-8442. If you were injured on a cruise, reach out to schedule a free consultation at our office in New Port Richey, Florida, today.
How Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Cruise Ship Accident in New Port Richey
Cases involving cruise ship accidents are much more complex than typical Florida personal injury cases.
Before you even set foot on a cruise ship, you’ll be required to sign a liability waiver. If you’re hurt, that waiver will require you to file your lawsuit where the cruise ship company is located–often, in Florida federal courts. That can make things tough if you’re recovering from injuries in another state or country.
Our experienced New Port Richey personal injury lawyers can help.
When you hire Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers, you’ll have a lawyer who:
- Understands the complex interaction between state, federal, and maritime laws
- Will protect you when the insurance company tries to blame you for causing the accident
- Has the resources to hire respected experts to back up your injury claim
- Has the tools to launch a full investigation to find out who caused your accident
You might find yourself facing off against a team of highly paid-defense lawyers. Our New Port Richey personal injury attorneys understand the tactics the cruise lines typically use to avoid liability. We’re ready to negotiate to recover the maximum compensation award possible in your case.
If you were hurt, call our law firm in New Port Richey, Florida, today to schedule a free case evaluation.
How Common Are Cruise Ship Accidents in New Port Richey?
Reports show that in the United States, major cruise ship accidents are becoming much more common. Cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, Princess, and Norweigan would rather you think otherwise.
Those major accidents include ships running aground, sinking vessels, and other disasters. However, more than 3,500 other accidents and incidents on cruise ships have also been reported. Those incidents might not be as newsworthy as a major cruise line disaster–but the results can be devastating for the passengers and crew who are seriously hurt.
At Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers, we handle claims against the largest cruise line companies, including:
- Carnival Cruise Lines
- Norwegian Cruise Lines
- Princess Cruises
- Royal Caribbean Cruises
- Disney Cruise Lines
- Celebrity Cruise Lines
- MSC Cruises
- Costa Cruises
- Holland America Cruises
Our injury firm also handles cases against local cruise ships. Were you hurt on a cruise? Call our New Port Richey cruise ship accident lawyers for a free case review today.
What is My New Port Richey Cruise Ship Accident Case Worth?
If you’re considering taking legal action, you’re probably wondering what your personal injury case is worth.
A range of factors could influence your damages award, such as:
- The type and severity of your injuries
- The cost of your medical care
- Your overall prognosis and anticipated future medical costs
- Your lost wages and income, both past and future
- Whether you suffered emotional losses
- Any disruptions in your daily life that were caused by the injuries
Our legal team won’t let the insurance companies pressure you to accept less than what your case is worth. In fact, we’ll bring in top experts and specialists to strengthen your claim. Our aggressive approach has helped countless clients secure fair compensation. Call our lawyers today to see what we can do in your case.
What Types of Damages Are Available to Cruise Ship Accident Victims?
The negligent cruise line company might owe you compensation for a range of damages, including your economic and non-economic losses. That includes all of your obvious economic damages or out-of-pocket costs, like medical expenses and lost wages.
At Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers, we’ll also fight to make sure you’re compensated for:
- Future medical costs
- Diminished earning potential
- Rehabilitation and physical therapy
- Medications
- Property damage
Most cruise ship accident victims are also entitled to recover non-economic damages.
Common types of non-economic damages caused by an injury include:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Disfigurement and scarring
- Depression, anxiety, and PTSD
- Diminished quality of life
- Loss of consortium
Our legal team takes the time to build the strongest possible injury claim in every case we take on. You can rest assured that our team will fight to recover the full range of damages available for your family.
Can I Recover Damages If I’m Being Blamed for a Cruise Ship Accident in Florida?
To recover compensation for cruise ship accident injuries, you’ll usually have to prove that someone else was negligent. However, those parties can argue that you were also negligent and were partially responsible for your injuries.
Victims aren’t barred from recovering compensation if they’re partly responsible for their accident in the state of Florida – as long as their share of responsibility is 50% or less. Under Florida’s modified comparative fault laws, your settlement will be reduced in proportion to your percentage of fault, and you’ll be unable to recover anything if your level of negligence exceeds 50%.
For example, if you have $30,000 in damages and were found to be 50% at fault for your accident, you will only be able to recover $15,000 (50%). That means you might walk away with less money if the cruise line blames you for the accident. And if you were found to be 51% at fault for the incident, you’d be able to recover nothing.
Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers can push back against a cruise line’s attempts at blame-shifting to ensure you recover what you deserve.
We’ll Fight to Recover Compensation for All of Your Cruise Ship Accident Injuries
At Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers, we’ve spent decades representing clients who have sustained serious cruise ship injuries.
Some of the most common types of personal injuries in New Port Richey include:
- Broken bones
- Concussions
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Head and neck injuries
- Soft tissue damage
- Back injuries
- Organ damage
- Burn injuries
- Loss of limbs
- Paralysis
- Catastrophic injuries
- Wrongful death of a loved one
You may have signed a waiver as a part of the cruise line ticketing process. That doesn’t mean you automatically sign away your right to hold the cruise ship responsible if their carelessness caused you to get hurt.
What Causes Most Cruise Ship Accidents in New Port Richey, Florida?
Any number of things can go wrong if the cruise line isn’t careful.
At Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers, we handle all types of cruise ship accident cases, including those involving:
- Slip and fall accidents
- Food poisoning
- Legionnaire’s disease and other illnesses
- Fires
- Medical malpractice if you received negligent medical care on board
- Swimming pool accidents
- Assault
- Sexual assault
- Accidents caused by falling objects
- Accidents caused by insufficient lighting
- Broken or missing handrails or damaged stairways
- Elevator accidents
- Negligent hiring practices and failure to properly train cruise ship staff
- Cruise ship groundings or crashes
- Falling overboard
- Accidents that happen during onshore excursions
We can also help with your Jones Act claim if you were hurt working on the ship’s crew.
If you were hurt in any type of cruise ship accident, give us a call to schedule a free case review today.
How Do I Prove Negligence After a Cruise Ship Accident in Florida?
Cruise ship accidents are complicated by the fact that one or more maritime laws may apply. General maritime laws hold ship owners accountable for unseaworthy conditions aboard the cruise ship.
Injured parties must often prove that the cruise line or its employees were negligent to recover damages.
That means establishing that the cruise line:
- Owed you a duty of care
- Breached that duty of care
- Caused you harm
- You suffered damages
The cruise line owes all passengers a legal duty of care under maritime law. As a common carrier, the company is responsible for operating the boat safely and providing reasonably safe conditions while you’re on board. If the cruise ship fails to take reasonable steps to keep passengers safe, you’re entitled to hold them accountable for damages when you’re hurt.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a Cruise Ship Accident in Florida?
Florida accident victims typically have two years to file a personal injury lawsuit (as of March 24, 2023 – before that date, victims typically had four years to file). In maritime accident cases, the statute of limitations is usually three years.
Despite this, most major cruise lines use the fine print in your ticket to dramatically shorten this timeline. In many cases, you’ll have only one year to take action. Some cruise ships require you to provide formal notice of your injuries within six months after you get hurt.
If you miss the deadline, you’ll be barred from recovering compensation. Don’t let that happen to you. If you were hurt, call Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers today for help with your injury claim.
Contact a New Port Richey Cruise Ship Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation
Are you struggling with painful injuries after a cruise ship accident? Call a New Port Richey cruise ship accident lawyer at Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers to explore your legal options today. As always, your initial consultation is completely free of charge.
Other Practice Areas In New Port Richey, FL
Here are some of the additional case types that our personal injury law firm in New Port Richey, FL can help with:
- Bicycle Accident Lawyers in New Port Richey, FL
- Boating Accident Lawyers in New Port Richey, FL
- Bus Accident Lawyers in New Port Richey, FL
- Brain Injury Lawyer in New Port Richey, FL
- Car Accident Attorneys in New Port Richey, FL
- Child Injury Attorneys in New Port Richey, FL
- Construction Accident Lawyers in New Port Richey, FL
- Electric Scooter Accident Attorneys in New Port Richey, FL
- Medical Malpractice Attorney in New Port Richey, FL
- Motorcycle Accident Lawyers in New Port Richey, FL
- Pedestrian Accident Lawyers in New Port Richey, FL
- Premises Liability Lawyers in New Port Richey, FL
- Product Liability Lawyers in New Port Richey, FL
- Slip and Fall Accident Lawyers in New Port Richey, FL
- Taxi Accident Attorneys in New Port Richey, FL
- Truck Accident Attorney in New Port Richey, FL
- Uber Accident Lawyer in New Port Richey, FL
- Workers’ Compensation Lawyers in New Port Richey, FL
- Workplace Accident Lawyer in New Port Richey, FL
- Wrongful Death Lawyers in New Port Richey, FL