Steps To Take After A Cruise Ship Injury
Getting injured on the cruise can sap all of the joy away from your vacation, but you may be able to get a hefty compensation for your injuries. Here are some steps to follow if you're injured on a cruise.
Step 1: Collect Your Evidence
It's important to thoroughly document what happened while you're still on the cruise, since once you leave the cruise it will be much more difficult to get the evidence you need. Be sure that you take a lot of pictures of the injury site. Photograph your injury and write notes each day about how your symptoms are improving or getting worse. Write down all of the details you can remember from the incident while they're still fresh in your memory. Tie all of this together into a journal that you can present to your personal injury lawyer when the time is right.
Step 2: See A Doctor
To have the strongest case possible, you will want to have thorough medical documentation to back up what happened. Go see the medical professional who is attending the cruise, and make sure you pay to get copies of your medical records. Keep following up on any care suggestions once you are off the cruise ship. This is necessary to reduce your own liability in the injury; if you fail to seek proper medical attention or don't follow up on medical treatments, then the cruise may be able to put some of the blame back on you when the injury isn't healing.
Step 3: Find a Lawyer
When you seek out a personal injury lawyer, bring all of the evidence you've gathered so far. They will do an evaluation to see whether the claim is worth pursuing; this will depend on the severity of your injury and the amount of responsibility the cruise ship should take. You may have signed a waiver at the beginning of the cruise that limits the company's liability for injury; this is one road block that your personal injury lawyer will investigate before moving forward with the claim.
Step 4: Decide Who's Liable and Proceed with Claims
Before you open a personal injury lawsuit, you and your lawyer will need to decide who's liable for the injury. The cruise company may be only one part of the picture. If you suspect medical malpractice, this is a separate claim. If another passenger was partly responsible for the injury, this can also reduce the liability of the cruise ship. Your lawyer will help you seek out the appropriate entities for your lawsuit.
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