Bringing a lawsuit to a cruise ship operation can be a little tricky.
Unlike a traditional lawsuit suing a business in one’s home town or community or place of work, a cruise ship business frequently involves issues that occur in the ocean while the boat is in transit. As a result, the issue of what kind of law applies tends to come up often. Cruise ship company lawyers frequently maneuver to get the lawsuit removed from state courts to federal court where they can limit damages and get cases dismissed far more easily. When this happens, you need an experienced cruise ship attorney.
Documentation
The best preparation to have for a cruise ship lawsuit is to first have as much documentation saved as possible. Your word and description of events can be provided as a statement, but it frequently provides very little evidence in and of itself.
Instead, injured parties are best served by keeping each and every piece of paper documenting the incident on board the cruise ship, even the ship’s own paperwork if possible.
Obviously, cruise ship companies may not want to be helpful in providing this paperwork when they get hint of a lawsuit coming. However, if you know where the documents exist, your lawyer can go after them through the discovery process.
Witnesses
People tend to see, hear, read, and observe a lot. However, folks don’t always proactively step forward to say what occurred.
With a cruise ship injury, particularly when traveling, identifying all the involved and nearby witnesses can provide a treasure trove of statements and observations if the incident was fairly public and visible.
While the injured party may be focused on the harm that just occurred, he or she can easily have a friend or relative get everyone’s name in the vicinity just in case. The immediate action will be very helpful months later when the lawyers need to chase down the potential evidence to make a case.
About Waks & Barnett, P.A.
Based in Miami, Waks & Barnett attorneys work with clients in Florida, throughout the United States and around the world. The firm’s attorneys practice in the areas of personal injury and wrongful death, with a specialization in admiralty and maritime cases.