Maritime Lawyer

Cruise Ship Liability

When a person gets on a cruise ship for a vacation, the same number of accidents that can occur on land can occur on a cruise ship as well. Basically, everything that can occur on land can occur at sea. This makes sense as cruise ships are basically floating cities. Another problem on cruise ships is crime. Some of the crime on cruise ships is committed by passengers while the majority is committed by crew members.

A lot of the crime on cruise ships is related to property, such as theft. A bigger concern is the fact that 75% of all of the crimes on cruise ships reported to the Attorney General’s office are sexual offenses. Of these sexual offenses, most involve young women who are under the age of 21.

Cruise ships which depart from US ports are considered common carriers of passengers. Usually, a common carrier has a special duty to its passengers to see that the passengers arrive at their final destination safely. They also have an obligation to use the highest degree of care to protect them against physical harm.

There is a special relationship between a carrier and its passengers. This involves one person entrusting himself to another’s protection and care. This includes a common carrier’s duty to protect passengers from criminal attack. In the context of a cruise ship, the duty of safe transportation extends to protecting the passengers from crew members’ rapes, molestations, and assaults.

Contact a Maritime Injury Lawyer

If you have been injured on a cruise ship or other vessel while at sea, contact the maritime injury lawsuit attorneys of Williams Kherkher at 1-800-220-9341 to learn more about your rights.