I have Been Injured At Sea. What Should I Do?

Our location in the Bahamas has seen us develop a well-respected maritime and shipping law practice. We act for a wide variety of commercial clients and private individuals.

When it comes to litigation, we regularly represent crew members and cruise ship passengers who have been injured or suffered some kind of loss while on board a vessel. Here we answer some of the most common questions that clients in this position ask.

ParrisWhittaker is a team of award-winning shipping and maritime lawyers headquartered in the Bahamas and with offices in the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and overseas. We are always on hand to provide practical guidance when a legal dispute arises like being injured at sea through no fault of your own. We’re available on 1-242-352-6110 and 1-242-352-6112 or you can always contact us online. 

What Are The First Things I Should Do If I Have An Accident At Sea?

• Get Medical Attention – We explain below why it’s important to get legal advice quickly. But it probably goes without saying that if you’ve been injured the first thing to do is look after yourself by getting immediate medical help. An independent medical assessment of your condition will ensure that any hidden complications caused by your injuries are dealt with. An immediate medical consultation will also ensure there’s a contemporaneous record of your condition. This will be essential in making out any claim for financial compensation.
• Tell Your Employer Or The Shipowner – If you are a crew member you should immediately report ayn accident to your employer. Likewise if you are a passenger, you should inform the relevant authorities – the cruise operator or owner of the vessel. This ensures that steps can be taken to reduce the possibility of someone else being injured and the report itself will form a key part of your case for any damages. 
• Get All Your Documents Together – Ensure there are proper records of your medical treatment, accident report, witness statements and any photos of the accident site. You should also try to create a written statement of your own, explaining what happened. All too often crucial details of an accident that can help establish who is legally responsible are missed because ethe small details are not recorded at the time.
• Wait Until You Have A Lawyer Before Agreeing Anything – It’s important not to make any statements or sign any documents until you have received legal advice. If being examined by a ship’s doctor for example, be wary of answering questions about the accident. Only provide information about your injuries that will enable you to be treated effectively.

Why Should I Seek Legal Advice After An Accident On Board?

The types of incidents that can cause an accident at sea include:

• Slipping or falling on board
• Being hit by an object on board from an upper deck for example
• Injuries caused if the boat capsizes, takes on water or collides with another vessel

The precise circumstances that gave rise to the accident will not always be clear cut. This is one reason why you should always get urgent legal advice. Specialist maritime litigators like those at ParrisWhittaker can help establish who was responsible and whether there’s a chance of your claim being undermined because of your own actions. Even if you are partly responsible you may still be able to recover damages.

When Should I Seek Legal Advice?

You should always seek specialist legal advice as soon as it’s practical and realistic to do so. There are several reasons why you should seek legal advice for if you’ve been injured at sea:

• There is a time limit within which you need to bring a personal injury claim
• Less chance of taking a misstep that could jeopardise your claim 
• The sooner you get legal advice the sooner you will know how strong your case is
• With a specialist lawyer at your side you’ll be better able to gather evidence. This will include getting contact details of witnesses, useful statements, photographs and videos of the scene and any official records relating to the incident
• Your lawyer will explain what records you need to keep, including daily notes of your injuries and all details of your financial loss resulting from eth accident

Will I Always Receive Compensation If I am Injured At Sea?

The short answer is no. But specialist personal injury litigators like the team members at ParrisWhittaker will quickly be able to advise you on whether or not you should sue a shipowner for injuries sustained on board. 

Businesses like cruise operators and ship charterers are legally obliged to protect clients and passengers from injury – it’s known as a duty of care. But the duty is not open ended. If you have been injured on board a vessel you will need to establish clearly that the accident occurred on board and that your injuries are a result of the owner’s negligence.

In addition when you are claiming compensation for injuries sustained at sea you need to bear in mind that this type of claim differs from some more run of the mill personal injury claims. While many of the steps you need to take correspond to the steps in any action for personal injury or financial loss, Issues over the legal jurisdiction in which the accident occurred and the relevance of where the ship on which you were injured is registered are just some of the factors that make this type of claim more complex from a legal perspective, 

ParrisWhittaker is a leading shipping law firm in the Bahamas. We regularly take on complex personal injury claims, suing cruise ship companies on behalf of passengers who have suffered loss or injury at sea. 

Contact Us

At ParisWhittaker we love fighting for clients. We have a proven track record of vigorously pursuing justice for passengers and crew engaged in litigation against cruise companies and ship owners. For advice feel free to reach out to us at ParrisWhittaker for an initial, no-obligation discussion.