Cruise Ship Accident Claims

Cruise ship accidents can come in many different forms. However, some of the most common ways injuries are sustained while on board include:

• Slips, trips or falls on deck, including when the ship is embarking or disembarking
• Burns or scalding from meals on board
• Assault
• Falling overboard
• Being injured on excursions organised by the cruise company
• Being injured due to poor safety measures.

This isn’t an exhaustive list. You could still claim compensation if you had a different type of accident on a cruise ship. Please get in touch to tell us what happened to you and we will advise on whether you may be able to claim.

You could make a cruise ship claim for illness if you experienced issues like:

• Food poisoning
• Allergic reactions to meals served on board or exposure to fumes/chemicals
• Respiratory conditions, such chemical poisoning, pneumonia and Legionnaires’ disease
• Ship doctors misdiagnosing a condition or failing to treat an illness or injury properly.

There are other illnesses and reasons you could make a claim for compensation. Contact us if you became ill through ways not listed above.

If you were involved in an accident that wasn’t your fault or if you became ill through the crew or cruise liner’s negligence, you could make a claim. We encourage anybody who sustained an illness or injury through no fault of their own to contact us.

We will start by setting up a free initial consultation with one of our team to hear what happened to you. From there, we will let you know if you have a case and, if so, which funding options you have available to you.

You don’t have to go any further than this initial consultation, but if you choose to continue your claim with us, we will begin gathering evidence. We can use a range of evidence to support your claim, including:

• Witness statements
• Independent medical experts
• Receipts
• Photographs/CCTV footage
• Medical records
• Complaint records.

We will then approach the individual or cruise line responsible for your illness or injury and inform them that we intend to make a claim. The process will be quicker if they admit fault and accept how much compensation we feel you need. In this case, we will also work to get you interim payments, which can be used to pay for ongoing expenses before your claim is settled.

The time limit under the Athens Convention (an international treaty that provides a framework for carrier liability when it comes to passengers and their luggage) to bring a claim is normally two years or up to three years for children or people without mental capacity. This time limit begins from the date of disembarkation (when you get off the ship).

However, the Limitation Act 1980’s discretion to extend the time limit doesn’t apply to the Athens Convention. For this reason, we urge you to contact us as soon as possible to start your claim.

No, it doesn’t matter where your accident or illness happened. The Athens Convention states that cruise liners and ferries (“carriers”) must have enough insurance to cover any accidents that happen.

So, wherever in the world your cruise ship was when you became ill or had an accident, we can help you claim compensation. Get in touch with us to see if you have a case.

Yes, you can claim compensation if you became injured or ill while on a cruise somewhere in the UK.

UK cruise lines and ferries are still subject to the Athens Convention, which states cruise liners must have insurance in place should an accident occur.

If you booked your cruise through a smaller UK-based company, they will likely have public liability insurance. We will be able to claim against this to get you the compensation you deserve.

If you have been injured while  working as a crew member, you can still claim but the process might be slightly different.

Depending on where your employer is based, we might need to approach your claim in a different way than we would most claims. However, we can still help you to make a claim for compensation.

Get in touch with us to tell us about the injuries you sustained while working at sea. We will talk you through the process and make you aware of how much compensation you could claim.