Can I get compensation from a cruise line we sailed onif my 10 year-old daughter was injured due to the crew’s negligence?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Can I get compensation from a cruise line we sailed onif my 10 year-old daughter was injured due to the crew’s negligence?
She was walking by a stairway up on the pool deck and 2 workers decided (on a windy day) to carry a stack of 2 chaise lounge chairs down from the deck above. The 2 workers dropped the chairs onto my daughter’s arm, which in turn became badly bruised. If it were 2 steps over they would have dropped it on her head which could have been serious. The 2 workers at first lied and said it blew off and then admitted to the supervisor they did drop them. The cruise line did apologize in person but nothing in writing (almost like they didn’t want to admit fault) and didn’t compensate us.
Asked on July 12, 2011 under Personal Injury, Massachusetts
Answers:
Stan Helinski / McKinley Law Group
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
It can be complex if it was an international cruise. What cruise line? Did she have any problems after the bruising or did it heal correctly?
S.L,. Member, California Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
You should obtain the medical bill and medical report for your daughter. Compensation for the medical bill is straight reimbursement. The medical report will document the nature and extent of your daughter's injury and will be used to determine the amount of compensation she receives for pain and suffering. Compensation for pain and suffering is an amount in addition to the medical bill.
Your daughter's personal injury claim consisting of the medical bill and medical report should be filed with the insurance carrier for the cruise line. If you are dissatisfied with settlement offers from the insurance carrier, you can reject the settlement offers and file a lawsuit on your daughter's behalf for negligence against the cruise line. You will need to be appointed guardian ad litem to sue on behalf of your daughter since your daughter is a minor. If the case is settled, no lawsuit is filed. If the case is NOT settled, you will need to file the lawsuit for negligence prior to the expiration of the applicable statute of limitations or your daughter will lose her rights in the matter forever.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.