South Florida Personal Injury Blog

When vacationers book a cruise ship, they do so with the expectation of having a wonderful time and a memorable trip, says Fort Lauderdale accident attorney Andrew Alitowski. They do not do so with the expectation of suffering an accident or an injury while on the cruise ship. Unfortunately, many such accidents occur every year. Cruise ships have become a popular destination trip, often providing a lower-cost way to visit several different popular tourist destinations, while advertising nice accommodations.

There are many ways a passenger on a cruise ship could suffer injuries. She may slip and fall (or trip and fall) on an uneven or wet surface. He could fall because of poor steering of the ship itself. A passenger could be subjected to bad food poisoning, especially from improperly prepared or undercooked food, says Broward personal injury attorney Alitowski. Salmonella, botulism, and E. coli are just a few of the possible common food contaminants. All can seriously sicken a person; the elderly and small children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of food poisoning. In the event of food poisoning, the passenger should seek medical attention as soon as is feasible and continue consuming fluids to stay hydrated and to avoid further weakening.

Inadequate medical services may give rise to another personal injury claim. If the cruise ship company provides medical staff on the ship, or if they negligently entrust your care to a bad doctor or hospital at one of the destinations, you may have a civil claim for damages.

Perhaps worst of all, a cruise ship passenger could actually fall off of a cruise ship and into the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico. This is truly a worst case scenario. Cruise ships are not designed for rescue missions and, if the crew is not monitoring the ship or waters, or does not immediately become aware of the accident, the passenger who falls off of a cruise ship could die quickly.