Cruise Ship Crew Member Accident Attorney

Our cruise ship crew member accident attorneys represent crewmembers against all the major cruise lines operating from the United States. Crew members aboard cruise ships are often overworked. In fact, as a general rule, cruise line employment contracts preclude overtime pay beyond the usual 40 hours per week and define a workweek as including up to 70 hours in a week without additional pay. This means crew members are working these excessive hours and essentially earn half or less than what they ought to earn hourly.

Cruise Ship Crew Member Injuries

Very often, crew members are from foreign countries and have little to no understanding of their shipboard duties but are put to work with little to no training. Instead, they are expected to “learn on the job.” Cruise ships are routinely understaffed, meaning crew members lack help from needed co-workers. These circumstances often make it difficult for crew members to safely carry out their assignments, resulting in accidents, causing injuries, and sometimes death.

Crew member injuries and deaths which occur on cruise ships are many times caused by:

  • Lifting heavy objects without prior safety equipment
  • Slippery decks and galleys
  • Unclean working environments
  • Poorly maintained or broken equipment
  • Understaffing
  • Insufficiently trained co-workers
  • Improper lighting
  • Failure to provide prompt, proper, or adequate medical treatment
  • Inadequate railings
  • Dock strikes
  • Working excessive hours
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Worker in cruise ship emergency room

Injured Crew Member Compensation

Crew members may be entitled to a wide range of compensation for on-the-job injuries. This compensation may include payment for medical care and treatment, lost wages, and damages for pain and suffering resulting from the accident. The amount of compensation depends upon: 

  • The severity of the injury,
  • The amount of wages the crew member has lost and will lose in the future,
  • The crew member’s age,
  • The amount of medical treatment required in the past and likely be required in the future.

For each cruise ship crew member we represent, we strive to obtain the appropriate amount of medical care and compensation for the injury allowable under the law.

Bringing a Cruise Ship Crew Injury Claim

Bringing a cruise ship crew injury claim can be complex. Unlike passenger claims, most cruise lines have contracts with their crew, requiring them to have all personal injury and death claims to be arbitrated. This means that a professional arbitrator will decide all issues in the claim, including whether the cruise line is responsible for the accident, and if so, how much money the cruise line must pay to compensate the injured crew member.

These arbitration provisions are often buried in employment contracts, and the crew members are unaware that they are required to arbitrate their injury claim until they are hurt on the job. To further complicate matters, each cruise line has different arbitrate agreements requiring different arbitration rules and choices of law.

An Experienced Cruise Ship Crew Member Accident Attorney Can Help You

Our team of Board Certified Maritime Lawyers has considerable experience arbitrating cruise ship crew injury claims against major cruise lines. We know the various types of arbitration rules and laws required by the various employment contracts utilized by the cruise lines. We are also very familiar with life aboard cruise ships, the work demands of the job, and how cruise line attorneys attempt to defend against crew member injury claims. This, combined with our knowledge of working conditions aboard cruise ships, enables us to present a powerful case before the arbitrator.

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Contact Brais Law Firm for a Free Evaluation

The Firm’s cruise ship crew member injury lawyers have the knowledge and skills to protect your rights against large cruise lines. Call our cruise accident lawyers for a free evaluation 305-709-4117 from within Florida, call 800-499-0551 from within the U.S., or Contact Us to complete a form. The attorneys with Brais Law Firm will take the time to discuss your case, the potential for success, and answer any questions you may have.

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