South Florida Injury Attorney Blog

Fourteen customers of Celebrity Cruise Lines who were seriously injured in a bus accident overseas returned to Florida for treatment, the Miami Herald reported Feb. 26. The passengers were injured on a road near Roseau, Dominica, when the driver of the open-air “makeshift bus” they were riding in lost control and slammed into a ditch. The driver, an employee of a company that contracts with Celebrity, told reporters that the brakes on the vehicle failed. Five of the passengers were listed in critical condition and two in serious condition, the Herald said. All of the injured people are U.S. citizens.

Accidents involving cruise ships are a complicated subject, even for a Fort Lauderdale cruise ship attorney like me. Cruise ship companies routinely hand their passengers a very complex contract to sign -- and buried somewhere in that contract is language that limits their legal liability. Furthermore, accidents on shore excursions like this may be subject to local law, while accidents on board ship could be governed by federal maritime law. However, many contracts specify that cruise ship injury claims should be heard in South Florida, and the ship’s home country’s law may also apply. And when a third party is involved, such as the company that employed the driver, multiple parties and their insurance companies could share legal responsibility for the accident.

For those reasons, the deck is already stacked against people who are considering a cruise ship accident claim in Miami or anywhere else. On top of this, cruise ship contracts often set a shorter deadline by which you must sue than the deadline (statute of limitations) set by Florida state law. Filing in the wrong court, or waiting too long to file, could limit your ability to sue at all if you’re not careful. And of course, passengers who were seriously hurt on a cruise are already dealing with their injuries, medical needs and the financial problems that can result.

That’s why experts recommend that people who were seriously injured on cruise ships get help from an experienced South Florida cruise ship accident attorney. At Cohn, Smith & Cohn, we have represented accident victims throughout South Florida for nearly 25 years. Based in Pembroke Pines, we represent clients throughout the state who have been seriously injured or lost a loved one through another person or organization’s negligence. If this sounds like your situation and you’re ready to fight back, we offer free, confidential consultations to help you get started. To set one up, please contact us as soon as possible.