Port Charleston – Cruise Accident Attorney

Port Charleston – Cruise Accident Attorney

The Port of Charleston is an outstanding cruise facility located in one of the world’s premier tourist destinations. According to Travel and Leisure Magazine, Charleston is one of the world’s top 25 cities and a great place to start your next cruise or to include in your next cruise itinerary.

Charleston is a historic city with a very unique architecture, art, and restaurant scene. History buffs know that Charleston was once the seat of British rule before the revolution and was considered to be the cultural capital of the New World. For these reasons our law firm strongly recommends that passengers who are considering cruising from Charleston include a short vacation before or after the cruise to explore all that Charleston has to offer. 

Most of Charleston’s attractions are located within easy walking distance of the “Passenger Terminal.” One of the things that make the port of Charleston so desirable for cruise ship passengers is that it is within 5 1/2 hours of driving distance to 33 major US metropolitan areas.

The port of Charleston is a frequent home port for Cruise ships leaving to explore the south Atlantic including Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the eastern and western Caribbean. In fact, the Carnival Ecstasy is homeported at the port of Charleston as is the Carnival Sunshine. The red, white, and blue fan tail of the Carnival Sunshine is a familiar sight for anyone who has ever visited the port of Charleston. However, Carnival recently announced that it will no longer homeport a ship in Charleston beyond 2024. 

The potential for a big cruise year certainly exists for 2022 and continues to exist in Charleston, South Carolina. There are over 100 cruises scheduled to port at the port of Charleston this year most of them are the Carnival Sunshine which sails from Charleston to the Bahamas in the Caribbean. The Carnival Sunshine routes from Charleston include stops in the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos, and Saint Maarten. Furthermore, in 2022 Royal Caribbean‘s “enchantment of the seas“ is scheduled to make 14 calls on Charleston. Cruising around the Caribbean continues to be one of the favorite destinations for cruise ships leaving from Charleston.

Charleston Cruise Ship Accident Lawyers

If you have been injured on a cruise that leaves from Charleston, South Carolina you may be surprised to learn that the cruise lines require any claim filed against it to be filed in court in Miami, Florida, and not in South Carolina. That’s because, in the small print in the passenger ticket there is specific language that states that all claims against cruise lines must be filed within one year of the date of the incident in the Federal District Courthouse in Miami, Florida. This is true, even if your cruise from South Carolina never went to Miami or you’re not from South Florida. This is true even if your accident occurred in a port or the middle of international waters or on an excursion. In other words, all claims against Carnival, Royal Caribbean, or any other cruise that left from Charleston have to be filed in Miami, not in South Carolina.

Gangway accidents

Our law firm has investigated dozens of cases of passengers getting injured on cruises from South Carolina. One of the most common types of cases we’ve seen are passengers who get hurt in the boarding and disembarkation process. That’s because the port of Charleston frequently uses gangways to load and unload passengers. If the gangway is not properly set up and is slippery passengers can easily fall and get injured.

Shore side excursion accidents and injuries

Injuries and accidents can also occur in port terminals, or on excursions. This is why we always recommend that our clients purchase any type of excursion for any cruise directly from the cruise line. There are a number of reasons why this is important which include the fact that if for some reason the excursion is delayed, the cruise ship will wait for you rather than leave you behind. In addition, cruise lines are “supposed to“ perform some kind of diligence on the excursion operator to make sure that they are operating a reasonably safe business. We don’t think this always happens, unfortunately, and as a result, passengers have been seriously injured on shoreside excursions. Most importantly every excursion that is sold from the cruise line is required to have liability insurance. This is essential if you were injured as the liability insurer will have the funds, and means to compensate you for your pain and suffering, lost wages, medical expenses, loss of cruise, and other damages.

The most common type of incidents that we see on cruises leaving from the port of Charleston are slips and falls on wet and slippery floors and decks, down steep and slippery staircases, over unmarked thresholds, or while participating in an onboard activity like ice-skating, rock climbing, zip lining, or the artificial surf machine known as the FlowRider.

Injury claims for accidents on Charleston cruises include broken bones like legs, arms, hip, and pelvis. We’ve also investigated many cases where people have suffered spinal injuries to the neck and back as well as traumatic brain injuries.

Although being on a cruise can be a fun and exciting experience, it can also be dangerous due to the open Sea air, moisture, and the fact that you are sailing on what is essentially a floating city. This is why we strongly recommend that our clients or anyone who is about to go on a cruise drink responsibly. We don’t believe that these “all you can drink” packages are in the best interest of the passenger. People who buy these packages tend to over consume alcohol which can lead to decreased awareness of your surroundings as well as an increased risk of falling.

Unfortunately, sexual assault and rape cases occur on cruise ships with alarming frequency, although they are rarely reported. If you have been a victim of a sexual assault, or rape on a cruise ship, any cruise port, terminal, or during a shore excursion it is important to consult immediately with an experienced cruise ship sexual assault lawyer who has the experience to understand, investigate and prosecute those types of sensitive cases against the cruise line.  

In addition to slips and falls and sexual assaults, cruise lines are also responsible to provide reasonable medical care under the circumstances. When a cruise ship’s medical facility commits medical malpractice, the cruise line is responsible. We’ve had medical malpractice cases against all of the major cruise lines for failing to diagnose and treat serious illnesses and injuries that have resulted in life-changing consequences and death.

Since 1991, Spencer Aronfeld and the attorneys at Aronfeld Trial Lawyers have successfully represented thousands of individuals who have been injured on cruises. We offer free initial and confidential legal consultations with anyone who’s been injured on a cruise ship via FaceTime, Zoom, Google Meet, or Skype. We encourage you to contact us even if you are still on the cruise, as the majority of cruise lines require a lawsuit to be filed against them within one year of the date of the incident.

It’s important to understand that not all accidents and injuries that happen on cruise ships are viable legal cases. That’s because federal maritime law requires that the injured passenger “prove“ that the incident was the fault of the cruise lines and not just the passenger’s fault for getting hurt. In other words, simply because you get hurt on a cruise doesn’t mean you have a case.

We have over 50 years of combined legal experience and we understand the difference between an accident and a case against a cruise line. We understand federal maritime law, and how to navigate a case to a successful conclusion on behalf of our injured clients.

If you’ve been injured on a cruise you may be entitled to money for your pain and suffering, your lost wages, and your medical expenses both in the past and for the rest of your life. Call us today, we’re ready to help.

SPEAK WITH A CRUISE ACCIDENT ATTORNEY TODAY

We offer anyone who may have been injured while on a cruise an initial legal consultation free of charge by SKYPE, email, or telephone, toll-free at 1-866-597-4529. Our lawyers have a combined legal experience of nearly 50 years, holding cruise lines accountable for putting their profits ahead of your safety. Let our lawyers help you obtain the compensation you may be entitled to for lost wages, medical expenses, travel reimbursement, loss of the enjoyment of the cruise, and pain and suffering. Call us today. We are ready to help.

Miami-based Aronfeld Trial Lawyers was established by Board Certified Trial Lawyer, Spencer Aronfeld in 1991. The firm represents cases resulting in serious injuries in the areas of Defective Product Liability, Maritime Law, Automobile AccidentsPremises LiabilityCycling AccidentsSlip and Fall IncidentsWrongful DeathMedical and Dental Malpractice, Civil Rights Claims, Workplace InjuriesSexual Assault, and others. Every client receives the full benefit of our experience, our resources, and our commitment. The practice of personal injury law is our calling. We are a firm of high-profile, nationally recognized legal advocates who work for you, our client, never big business. All attorneys and staff members at the firm are bilingual speaking Spanish. To learn more, visit https://www.aronfeld.com/ or contact Aronfeld Trial Lawyers directly at (305) 441-0440.

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