Port of Tampa Bay – Cruise Accident Attorney

Port of Tampa Bay – Cruise Accident Attorney

Tampa, Florida–home to the Port of Tampa Bay, the largest shipping port in the State of Florida–is one of the most interesting and exciting places for cruise ship passengers to visit. It is also a favorite port for several cruise lines because of the Port’s convenient access to the Gulf of Mexico, making Tampa a place to embark on cruises to the Western Caribbean and Mexico for four-, five-, seven-night, and two-week cruise itineraries. CarnivalRoyal CaribbeanNorwegianHolland America, and AIDA all homeport cruise ships in the Port of Tampa Bay, leaving from Tampa’s state-of-the-art Cruise Terminal 3

Passenger planning to embark from Tampa should allow an extra day to explore some of Tampa’s historic sites, like Ybor City (pronounced “EE-BORE”), which was home to most major cigar makers in the late 1800s.  Many Cuban, Mexican, and Italian immigrants have lived in Ybor City, their influence evident in the architecture and restaurants that dot this unique neighborhood. As well as Tampa’s exciting amusement park, Busch Gardens near the port merits a visit, or merely by driving east for an hour, one can be in Orlando.

Many people who cruise to Tampa and elsewhere are surprised to learn that if they are injured on a cruise ship, gangway, tender boat, or on an excursion after leaving on a cruise ship that departs from port, the majority of cruise lines–such as Carnival, RCCL, NCL, and others–require that any claim against the cruise line brought by an injured passenger must be filed not in Tampa, but in the Federal Court in Miami, Florida, within one year of the date of the incident.   

This is true even if neither the injured passenger nor the ship ever visited Miami. The requirement can be found buried deep in the legal mumbo jumbo contained in the passenger ticket contract–which most people either don’t read or don’t understand. It comes as a shocking surprise to many, including lawyers who are unfamiliar with the complex legal intricacies of suing a cruise line in maritime law. That is precisely what the cruise lines hope will happen; it is very common for a claim to be filed in the wrong jurisdiction or in an untimely way–after the year deadline has expired. To complicate matters, some cruise lines, like NCL, have even stricter presuit notification guidelines that must be complied with before the lawsuit can even be filed. 

Aronfeld Trial Lawyers has successfully represented injured passengers and their families in claims against the major cruise lines since 1991. Have you or a member of your family been hurt on a cruise–by falling on a slippery deck, steep staircase, or unmarked sill or threshold?  Because of some other dangerous condition, have you suffered a serious injury, like a broken arm, leg, head trauma, or another medical condition?  If so, contact our office today to speak with an experienced maritime accident attorney. 

770-6553We offer free initial consultations to anyone, by phone, toll-free at 1-888-742-0372, locally at 305-770-6553, and by email or SKYPE. We will help you understand and protect your legal rights and hold the cruise line accountable for your lost wages, medical expenses, transportation reimbursement, and pain and suffering. Contact us today, before the cruise line destroys valuable evidence like the CCTV footage of your incident, or fires crew members who witnessed your incident and may have important information or essential testimony that will be needed to win your case. 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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