Taking a trip for a vacation can take many forms with millions of Americans making the decision to take a cruise each year as the popularity of this form of vacation continues to grow in popularity. One issue which can become a problem for many is how to cope with an injury or wrongful death taking place while traveling. A cruise may take an individual on a journey into international waters or the jurisdiction of another country which means an experienced international law personal injury attorney Tampa such as Winters and Yonkers, cruise participants can trust should always take up a case for any individual or family affected by injury over the course of a vacation.
Cruise vacation issues are extremely rare
The cruise industry does not often report on the number of individuals who are injured or die during a journey with a major cruise line. The New York Times reports around five million travelers embark on a cruise from U.S. ports each year with instances of problems extremely rare for an industry which provides good service for the majority of the time.
Knowing exactly what the problems may be with the cruise industry is also limited by the way shipping lines operate the sector with most ships registered in various small nations around the world; by registering a ship in another part of the world the industry is making sure it only has to answer to the authorities in the nation a ship is registered. By positioning themselves in smaller nations without large government agencies the ability to record and collate data on the number of injury claims is severely compromised.
Cruise ship claims
A major problem with cruise ships is the very nature of the reason most people look to take one of these journies. As a cruise ship by nature will spend the majority of their time at sea it is often difficult for a personal injury attorney to determine exactly where a ship was positioned when the injury or death took place which used to cause problems when it came to filing a claim. However, the cruise industry has now largely moved to a forum-selection clause allowing a company to name the state in which they wish any claims to be processed to be named, in most cases this is Florida.
One of the major reasons why Winters and Yonkers, personal injury attorney Tampa office has built such powerful experience battling for the right of those injured during a cruise or vacation is the fact they are located at the very heart of the industry. Despite the majority of ships being registered in smaller nations around the world, the companies operating them have headquarters and offices across Florida where they work with attorneys to bring a swift end to most claims.
Proving negligence
When purchasing a ticket for a cruise a contract between the line operator and traveler has been created which sets limits on liability and expectations on both sides of the contract. In order to prove a personal injury or wrongful death claim, attorneys such as Winters and Yonkers must prove negligence on the part of the cruise operator or that an employee of the cruise line was operating with a willful intent to cause damage to persons or property.
It is important for all the documents supplied with a ticket to be stored carefully by a customer who will need to understand the limits placed on liability by the cruise operator or other travel company including airlines. It is common for a cruise operator to place a limit on the time for a personal injury claim to be started and may be as low as 12 months from the date of the incident taking place.
Covering oneself at all times
Any personal injury attorney will make it clear to any traveler they should always purchase travel insurance in a bid to make sure their basic needs are met in case of an emergency. However, it is also important to ensure the travel insurance policy is understood as not every activity is covered over the course of a vacation including skydiving, water skiing, and the use of jet skis which can limit the ability of an individual to make a claim should they be injured as a result of these activities.
The most common injuries for those on a trip often revolve around the activities taking place at a beach or resort vacation. Drowning and boat accidents are two of the most common issues dealt with by a personal injury attorney in Tampa who is looking to get the best payout for their client.