Port of Galveston – Cruise Accident Attorney

People who get hurt on cruises that leave from Galveston, Texas are often surprised to learn that their cases have to be litigated not in Houston or Galveston but rather in the United States District Court in Miami Florida. This is because the majority of cruise lines such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Norwegian, and others require that lawsuit to be filed in Federal Court in Miami, Florida, which is where they maintain their corporate offices.

All of the major cruise lines such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian require that the lawsuit be filed within one year of the date of the incident. Many of them also have certain written Presuit Notice Requirements that must be complied with or they will seek to dismiss the case immediately upon it being filed. It is important to consult with an experienced Houston cruise ship personal injury lawyer who has experience and knowledge in holding cruise lines accountable when they put their profits over passenger safety.

If you have sailed out of Galveston, Texas, and have been hurt on a cruise we will provide a free legal consultation with you regarding your legal rights. Our office will be happy to speak with you today over zoom, Google Meet, FaceTime, or telephone and a maritime personal injury lawyer will advise you as to whether or not we believe you even have a case. After all, not all accidents on cruise ships are viable personal injury cases. Federal maritime law applies to these cases and there is an enormously difficult legal hurdle to cross in order to hold a cruise line accountable for injuries.

The typical type of case that we see for a Galveston cruise ship passenger injury involves broken legs, broken arms, knee injuries, ankle injuries, spinal injuries, fractured hip and pelvis, and traumatic brain injuries. These injuries occur most commonly from people who slip and fall on wet and slippery decks. The cruise lines know that these decks become unreasonably slippery when wet but they often fail to warn passengers or take adequate measures to maintain them in a way so that people do not get hurt.

One of the first things personal injury cruise ship lawyers do when we get a new case is to request that the cruise line preserve the surveillance video of the scene of the accident. If this is not done immediately, the cruise line will claim that they had no obligation to maintain it and will “destroy it.” These surveillance videos are usually key evidence in a case because not only will it show that the accident happened but it will show how long the dangerous condition such as a water spill or other foreign substance was on the deck that may have caused or contributed to the fall. 

Our firm also has considerable experience representing children who have been hurt on cruise lines in the kid’s club or daycare, in a pool or waterslide accident, or while participating in an activity on board the ship such as the FlowRider, rock comic, ice-skating or zip lines.

Additionally, we have successfully represented many passengers and their families who are misdiagnosed by the medical center. Common “mistake medical malpractice” cases that we have investigated include failure to properly diagnose and treat a fracture, failure to evaluate strokes and treat heart attacks properly, and failure to medically disembark passengers timely so that they can receive the type of care that could potentially save their life from the short-sided medical facility.

Sadly, most people who get injured on a cruise out of Galveston, have no idea why they got hurt. Sometimes they just wake up in the medical center with a broken bone and they don’t know how they got there. 

Currently, the Port of Galveston is investing over $30 million in cruise-related infrastructure such as new terminals and upgrades to existing terminals. Royal Caribbean cruise lines, which is based in Miami, is investing millions of dollars in a joint venture with the port of Galveston to create a brand new super terminal known as “Pier 10.” The new 161,000 square-foot, ultra-modern cruise terminal is going to be the home port for the mega cruise ship the “Allure of the Seas” in November 2022. This Royal Caribbean Oasis Class Ship is one of the largest cruise ships in the world and weighs over 225,000 gross tons and can handle nearly 7000 guests and 2200 crew members at full capacity. The Oasis Class Ship was launched in 2009 and at the time was the world’s largest passenger ship until it was replaced with the Harmony of the Seas in 2015. Royal Caribbean is investing over $110 million along with the port of Galveston’s $22 million to repair the pier, improve work sites, utilities, and a port-operated Cruise parking lot for 1800 vehicles. Royal Caribbean is not spending all this time and money just to accommodate the Allure of the Seas, they are also intending to move the Adventure of the Seas and the Radiance of the Seas to the new terminal. The road work into the port is also being upgraded to handle the thousands of passengers and what is needed to board the ships from the Harborside at 14th St. Three grants from the Texas Department of Transportation have helped fund this new network of roadways. 

The other major cruise lines such as Carnival, Norwegian, and Princess also are heavily invested in the development and improvement of the Port of Galveston. Perhaps the most anticipated change to the Port of Galveston will be the arrival of the “Carnival Jubilee” where she will call the port of Galveston her home port in 2023. To accommodate this, Galveston is also investing $11 million to improve the terminals at Ports 25 and 28 also known as terminals one and two.

The Carnival Jubilee will be the newest cruise ship in the Carnival fleet with a maximum passenger capacity of 5374 passengers. The port will also need to develop new infrastructure for the LNG fuel that the Jubilee will run on.

Princess Cruise Lines, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Carnival Cruise Lines, will also be bringing several ships to homeport at the port of Galveston, like the “Ruby Princess.”

Norwegian Cruise Line is also intending to have its newest ship the “Norwegian Prima“ call Galveston its homeport from October 2022 through December 2022 and again at the end of 2023.

If you have any questions about your potential claim against a major cruise line that sailed out of Galveston, or if you live in Houston or the surrounding area and would like to discuss your case in more detail with us, we are here to help.

We provide free confidential initial consultations by telephone, ZOOM, SKYPE, FACETIME with our Houston and Galveston area cruise injury lawyers.  We know how to hold the cruise lines accountable when they put their profits ahead of people. Call us today, we are ready to help.