Slip and Fall Accidents on Cruise Ships

Cruise ship slip and fall accidents are the most common ways passengers and crew members are injured. A slip and fall accident on a cruise ship can happen on many types of floor surfaces and for a variety of reasons. They can happen on an open deck, by the pool, in a restaurant, a theater, in bathrooms, a dance floor, and other common areas. Common reasons are due to slippery deck surfaces, wear and tear, or due to transient and foreign substances. Cruise ship slip, trip, & fall cases also happen due to dangerous flooring materials, during routine ship housekeeping, and vessel floor maintenance such as waxing or buffing marble floors. Many hazards and accidents which follow are often due to some sort of negligence by crew members, and even sometimes passengers. Spilled drinks, loose flooring, even water tracked in by guests using swimming pools are common reasons passengers are injured.  Over the years, we have seen many passengers seriously injured in slip and falls on cruises.  But we have also helped many clients get justice too. The truth is that slip & fall accidents can be prevented. Our job is to prove that in court. That’s what we do.

Whether you slipped or fell in the Wind Jammer Cafe, in the Garden Cafe, or the Lido Deck, our law firm is here to help. At Gerson and Schwartz, our cruise ship slip and fall lawyers conduct regular vessel inspections to help prove our clients cases. We retain leading experts as part of our commitment to our clients in order to test a floor’s slip resistance, or to check for hidden or latent defects that may explain how and why a cruise ship slip and fall happened. That’s because Under United States federal maritime law, cruise ship operators and other marine going vessel surfaces are required to provide adequate slip resistance on open decks and walkway surfaces. Floor surfaces must meet minimum thresholds for slip resistance under wet and dry conditions. This is called the coefficient of friction.

As part of our commitment to our clients, we retain leading experts in engineering, bio-mechanical experts, hunan factors, ship design, and other leading experts in the marine industry to evaluate vessel floors, decks, and walkway surfaces to determine whether or not the veseel complied with all applicable federal and international safety regulations for our clients in slip and fall accident cases.

If you or a loved one sustain a serious injury on a cruise ship, our personal injury law firm may even conduct a vessel inspection so we can evaluate test and inspect the area where your accident occurred. Gerson and Schwartz law firm specializes in cruise ship slip and fall injury claims. Our cruise slip and fall attorneys are located in Miami, Florida close to the port of Miami. We routinely represent injured passengers and crew against all the major cruise line operators. Our personal injury law firm has the knowledge, experienc, expertise and resources to combat the cruise line companies for their negligence and hold them accountable. Though the cruise line will fight you, we will also fight back to protect your legal rights.

Why Cruise Ship Slip and Fall Accidents are Common

A cruise ship has the same type slip and fall hazards that people encounter on shore or other land based environments. But, they also have a number of potential other safety hazards that are inherent to a marine environment. This includes corrosion from salt water, sea spray, and water tracked into high traffic areas from pool areas. Spilled drinks, wet or foreign substances, food in restaurants, loose flooring to water tracked in by guests using the swimming pools, even dim lighting in stairwells and hallways are all common causes. Cruise ship slips & falls can also be due to negligent design, negligent maintenance or due dangerous surfaces available due to the limited selection of deck and flooring materials that appear to be wood and other surfaces used on land. Severe weather, such as wind heavy rain, and rough seas are also common contributing factors.

Other cruise ship and maritime related slip, trip and fall accidents specific to cruise ships may be due to foreign objects that are blown over due to wind, or ship equipment that is not properly maintained or properly secured. If you were injured in a slip and fall accident don't delay. Contact a cruise ship slip and fall lawyer today by calling (877) 475-2905 or send us an email at info@gslawusa.com

Common Causes of Slip, Trip, and Fall Accidents our lawyers have experience include:

• Slip and Falls Due to Wet, Foreign, or Transitory Substances
• Cruise Ship Slip and Falls Accidents Due to Use of Slippery Surfaces
• Failing to Utilize Non Skid Strips, Mats, or Slip Resistant Materials
• Falls on Cruise Ships due to Tripping Hazards including Damaged Floors, Carpet, 
• Cracked, Damaged, Broken Tiles or Uneven Floor Surfaces
• Cruise Ship Trip & Falls on Thresholds
• Slip, Trip, and Falls on Gangways
• Falls on Steps and Stairwells due to Raised Metal Nosing or Bunched Carpeting
• Ship Slip-and-Falls due to Negligent Failure to Correct or Maintain Common Areas
• Negligent Maintenance of Decks and other Floor Surfaces
• Failing to Warn of Known a Danger About a Particular Floor or Surface
• Crew Member or Cruise Liner's Creating a Slip and Fall Hazard

Under federal maritime law, cruise line operators owe a legal duty of reasonable care. Like businesses ashore, cruise line operators and employees are legally responsible for keeping their decks, floor surfaces and other common areas on the vessel in a safe condition. The legal standard of reasonable care under the circumstances is not always not easy to delineate. How and what constitutes reasonable care is dependent on a number of factors. This includes providing verbal or visual warnings, to correct a dangerous area, or marking off areas where foreign substances and hazards may be. Visual and verbal warnings are important to ensure passenger safety. Foreign substances often make their way on cruise ships and their decks. If the dangerous condition existed long enough, regardless of who created it the dangerous condition, cruise line has a legal obligation to correct it and to warn passengers. If it does not and you are injured as a result, the cruise line is responsible for the injuries that result.

Knowledge of a risk other dangerous condition is also required under United States federal maritime law. Other factors a cruise ship slip and fall accident lawyer will analyze is the number of prior slip and fall incidents that have occurred. We also look to see what the cruise line operators knowledge of potential dangers and whether a cruise line had reason to know of a hidden or latent danger and what the cruise line did or failed to about in light of their knowledge.

Under the federal maritime law, cruise liners also owe a legal duty to warn customers about known dangers. The legal duty to warn does not just apply to wet or foreign substances but to any danger that the cruise line knew or should have known. Examples of inadequate warnings on a ship may include the failure to use a caution or wet floors sign while performing routine cleaning or maintenance, or simply failing to mark off an area that has just been cleaned. If the cruise line creates a dangerous condition or fails to take reasonable safety and security measures they are responsible for all injuries and harms they have caused. If you were injured in a slip and fall accident on a cruise due to the negligence of the ship or their employees you may be entitled to recover financial compensation for your injuries.

In some cases, our Florida cruise ship lawyers have uncovered the existence of dozens upon dozens of prior slip and fall accidents giving rise to claims for punitive damages. High traffic areas must be free of dangers and safety hazards. Cruise line companies may also be responsible for slip, trip and fall accidents due to potential hazards they create. Dangerous conditions can be due to negligent cleaning practices by cruise ship employees, or simply a failure by them to warn of about it or other failing to undertake other reasonable safety precautions.

The average age of a cruise ship passenger is over 50 years old, and because of this, even what seems like a minor accident can cause serious injuries with long term medical complications and financial repercussions. Some of the common injuries resulting from these types of accidents that our law firm handles include:

• Broken Bones to Arms and Legs
• Orthopedic Injuries
• Head Injuries
• Fractures Requiring Surgical Repair
• Ligament Injuries
• Tendon Injuries
• Brain Injuries
• Injuries to Extremeties like Hands, Wrists, and Knees
• Concussions and Closed Head Injuries
• Back and Spinal Cord Injuries
• Lacerations and Contusions

Litigating against cruise ship companies is a difficult process that requires an experienced cruise ship attorney. Most cruise line passenger ticket contracts exclusively require litigation against the company be brought in certain courts, predominantly in Florida federal courts. Over time, various judicial rulings have created an environment that is very favorable to the defending companies. Cruise line operators also typically put clauses in their ticketing contracts that limit the time people have to notify of the company of their intent to file a legal claim and the time in which they may sue over a personal injury claim in order to potentially bar injury victim's rights to recover against them for their negligence.

In a cruise ship slip and fall or any other serious accident involving personal injury it is important to document the condition. Take photographs, get the names of witnesses, an crew personnel who may have observed the condition. The cruise lines will fight to keep any information they can away from you if you are injured. Once passengers or crew members leave the ship they know witnesses and crew members with knowledge may be difficult to locate.

If you are seriously injured on a cruise ship you need experienced lawyers. What many cruise ship slip and fall victims don't realize are the great lengths that ship operators have undertaken to shield themselves from legal claims. Forum selection clauses, requiring injury victims to file legal claims in certain jurisdictions, choice of law provisions, waivers, requiring passengers to sign a passenger injury statement, and many other nuances in the cruise ship investigative policies and procedures are all aimed to make it more difficult for injury victims obtain fair compensation. Contact a cruise ship slip and fall attorneys at Gerson & Schwartz, PA.

The Florida cruise ship slip and fall attorneys at Gerson & Schwartz P.A., have over 50 years of experience helping slip and fall accident victims both on land and sea recover for their injuries. We can help you too. Our personal injury offices are located in Miami, Florida near both the Port of Miami and Port Everglades. We also have a proven track record of recovering for all types of serious injuries on cruise ships, maritime accidents and other types of serious injury claims. Read our online reviews for yourself. Contact us today to discuss your cruise ship slip and fall claim and see how we can help. Call us toll free at (877) 475-2905 or contact us online.