Who is Responsible For Injuries On a Cruise Line?

Sutton Law Group • Jan 02, 2022

At the moment, it seems like the cruise line industry may have been permanently injured by the COVID-19 pandemic. The sad truth, however, is that plenty of customers have been permanently injured by the cruise line industry over the years. Slips and falls and other injuries are common on cruise lines, not to mention accidents where customers fall overboard. When you are on a ship in the middle of the ocean, who is responsible for injuries sustained?

Cruise line ship — S. Miami, FL — Sutton Law Group

The first concern, obviously, is for your own immediate medical safety. Most cruise lines have a medical bay. Make sure to be taken care of, and to make a record of everything that happens in the process. Depending on the injury, you may be flown via helicopter to the mainland. Most injuries, however, are sustained onboard, examined in the moment, and only show their true damage later.


Liability standards are different under maritime law than under standard United States mainland law. In order to prove that a cruise line is directly responsible for the injury you sustained while on their ship, you have to prove that the employees of the ship knew a condition was unsafe – or that they should have known. It has to be proven in court that these unsafe conditions, which should have been addressed, led directly to your injury.


Furthermore, many cruise lines have a limit on the amount of time a customer has to file a claim or lawsuit against them. When you sign up to ride on a cruise, you sign a contract. That contract normally has provisions that set a clear amount of time where you can file a lawsuit relating to an accident. The time period generally ranges from six months to a year, so make a point to address any injuries that happened aboard a cruise as soon as possible.


Of course, just because a lawsuit is filed does not mean it will resolve quickly. Sutton Law Group recently took part in the Easterwood vs. Carnival case, where we represented a woman who was injured falling on a cruise line deck in 2019. The case was finally resolved in 2021. Testing was done on everything from the deck to the woman’s clothing as part of the case, and security footage was examined revealing another customer had slipped earlier in the same way. Eventually, the Judge ruled in favor of the woman, which we were obviously relieved and happy to see.


Cruise line accidents happen just as often as any other accidents, but they are more complicated to deal with. If you have suffered an injury on a cruise line, contact Sutton Law Group right away! We are dedicated to your success.

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