What Are the Rights of Cruise Ship Crew Members and Passengers?

Both cruise ship crew members and passengers may be eligible for damages in the event of an accident or injury on a vessel. However, the laws governing compensation for crewmembers are different from those for passengers.

Passengers on a cruise vessel could suffer fall accidents, or accidents in the swimming pool or other amusement facilities on a cruise. They may be subjected to sexual assaults, rapes or physical assaults on a vessel.

These attacks may be perpetrated by crewmembers or by other passengers. There may be food poisoning outbreaks on a vessel that can turn a cruise vacation into a nightmare. Passengers who are injured on a vessel may be covered under general maritime laws.

Crewmembers on a cruise vessel may be injured in slip and fall accidents, fires or explosions. Crewmembers could also suffer repetitive stress injuries because of the stressful nature of their jobs.

Cruise ship crewmembers who have been injured in the workplace may be eligible for compensation under other maritime laws. For instance, many cruise vessel crewmembers will be covered under the Jones Act, a set of maritime laws that has been designed specifically to protect seamen who have been injured on a vessel.

Most crewmembers on a cruise vessel, including deck hands, entertainers, dancers, waiters, cooks and others may qualify as Jones Act seamen. They may be eligible not only for maintenance and cure, but may also file a claim of negligence against the employer, or a claim of unseaworthiness against the vessel owner.

The maritime lawyers at Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P., Accident & Injury Lawyers represent cruise vessel crewmembers and passengers who have been injured in accidents on a cruise ship.