Indiana Cruise Ship Accident Lawyers

Though Indiana definitely has a lot to offer, even the proudest of the state’s nearly seven million residents may want to go on vacation from time to time, and for some of them the ideal vacation is a cruise. Whether navigating the islands of the Caribbean, the shores of Alaska, or exotic locales on the other side of the globe, a cruise combines the amenities of a luxury resort with the romance of the high seas, making it a uniquely appealing travel opportunity – but not necessarily a safe one.

With so many passengers and crew members rubbing shoulders for so long, it may be no surprise that accidents are far from rare on cruise ships, which recorded at least 663 injuries over the course of a recent three-year period and numerous illnesses and outbreaks as well. Fortunately, you may have grounds for a personal injury case when you have been harmed during a cruise as a result of someone else’s negligence, and your odds of prevailing could increase dramatically if you partner with the Indiana cruise ship accident lawyers at Hensley Legal Group.

For a complimentary case review with an accomplished Indiana cruise ship accident attorney, please call us at (317) 472-3333, chat with us online, or fill out our contact form now.

Common Sources of Injury and Illness on Cruise Ships

While cruise passengers could be hurt or sickened in a variety of ways, much as they could when they are on land, certain sources of injury and illness are especially common on cruise ships, such as:

Slip-and-falls – Cruise ships have to be adequately maintained so that invited guests don’t slip or trip and fall because of hazards on site. Since a boat is normally in constant motion and at an elevated risk of getting drenched with water, traction and stability could be heavily compromised on deck, and tragedy may ensue if a passenger tumbles overboard.
Insufficient security – Like every space that may be accessible to outsiders, a cruise ship should provide sufficient security to shield patrons from assaults or attacks.
Defective swimming pools and water slides – Cruise ships often boast about the swimming pools and water slides that guests and their children can enjoy, yet that enjoyment could instantly become agony when these attractions are defective or when swimmers aren’t supervised by trained lifeguards.
Food poisoning – The price of a cruise ticket generally includes food and drinks for the duration of the journey. However, passengers could be seriously sickened by foodborne pathogens like E. coli, salmonella, and norovirus when pantry items get contaminated or when meals are prepared or handled in an unsanitary fashion.
Widespread diseases – Airborne or waterborne diseases could also spread widely and rapidly within the confined quarters of a ship at sea, particularly in the absence of functioning ventilation or water filtration systems.
Medical malpractice – In the event of an onboard injury or illness, treatment will primarily be administered by the cruise ship’s medical staff, and patients could be subjected to misdiagnosis or other kinds of malpractice if that staff is not up to the task.
Offshore accidents – A cruise ship accident might not be limited to the ship itself. Offshore excursions at preplanned destinations are a major part of the cruise experience – and a major threat to passengers when a local tour operator doesn’t take precautions to avoid a disaster.

Regardless of how your cruise ship injury or illness ultimately occurred, you can rely on Hensley’s tenacious Indiana cruise ship accident lawyers to hold everyone who may be at fault for it to account.

Who Can Be at Fault for a Cruise Ship Accident?

But exactly who can be at fault for a cruise ship accident? The answer may depend upon the circumstances that led up to it, but a viable cruise ship accident claim will typically argue that the cruise line is liable for its failure to protect the passengers in its care, and other defendants in such cases might include:

Crew members
Fellow passengers
Manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of substandard ships, pieces of equipment, or component parts
Tour owners and operators

In some situations, multiple individuals and entities could share varying levels of blame for a single cruise ship accident, and you could be forever barred from full financial recovery if they aren’t all pursued within the time allotted by law.

Identifying the defendants won’t be your only challenge either, as you may face stiff resistance from the in-house counsel for multi-billion-dollar enterprises like Carnival, Norwegian, Disney, or Royal Caribbean International, along with opposition from insurers with applicable coverage.

To make matters worse, additional constraints may be imposed on the location, manner, and window in which you can initiate a cruise ship accident lawsuit or claim. For example, your case will likely be governed not by the laws of your home state but by federal maritime law, which has unyielding requirements to which you must abide. Furthermore, your ticket contract might include language demanding that you submit written notice to the cruise line before you take legal action and that the action in question be taken in a jurisdiction where the cruise line is incorporated, usually with a shorter deadline too.

Collectively, these conditions tend to make the entire process less favorable to you and more favorable to the defendants, thereby stacking the deck against your case when it has barely begun, but retaining the skilled legal practitioners at Hensley Legal Group can deal you a winning hand.

What Our Indiana Cruise Ship Accident Attorneys Can Do for You

A cruise ship accident could upend your life in a heartbeat, submerging you beneath a tidal wave of escalating expenses and simultaneously robbing you of the ability to break free. You need attorneys with the compassion to support you through your struggles and the wisdom to overcome them, like the Indiana cruise ship accident attorneys at Hensley Legal Group.

If you hire Hensley, your lawyer will launch an exhaustive investigation to determine the root causes of your cruise ship accident and the defendants who played a role in it, then establish valid claims and possibly file suit against them while meeting every legal and contractual obligation.

Next, your attorney will amass the evidentiary materials to back up any allegations you make, including proof of both the depth of the defendants’ misconduct and the extent of your losses, leaving no stone unturned until it is unearthed.

Upon putting together an irrefutable case against each of the defendants, Hensley Legal Group will fiercely negotiate with their insurance carriers and legal representatives in order to get you compensated for the totality of your damages, including your:

Medical bills
Lost income
Pain and suffering
Mental and emotional trauma
Mobility restrictions
Scarring and disfigurement
Diminished quality of living
Loss of consortium (if relevant)

And if a settlement is not put forth that reflects what your claim is really worth, we are more than willing to go to trial to obtain a verdict that does, unlike many of our competitors, who seldom, if ever, see the inside of a courtroom, frequently to the disadvantage of their clients.

No two cruise ship accidents are completely the same, but our dedicated Indiana cruise ship accident lawyers will always strive to maximize the value of yours.

You Won’t Have to Pay Us Unless We Succeed

If you are reluctant to spend more money after spending so much already, you should know that Hensley Legal Group works on a contingency basis, so you won’t have to pay us anything unless our Indiana cruise ship accident attorneys successfully resolve your case.

What might once have seemed like a dream come true may have soon transformed into a nightmare that feels like it will never end, but you can trust Hensley to bring your voyage to a satisfying conclusion.

Reach Out to Our Indiana Cruise Ship Accident Lawyers

Hensley Legal Group has been advocating for honest Hoosiers just like you since the firm first opened its doors in 1998. If you have no idea how to proceed after being wrongfully injured on a cruise, reach out to our Indiana cruise ship accident lawyers to explore the remedies that may be available to you.

You can schedule a no-cost consultation with a knowledgeable Indiana cruise ship accident attorney by calling us at (317) 472-3333, chatting with us online, or filling out our contact form today.