What Can Go Wrong on a Cruise Ship? Cruise Ship Sexual Assault Attorney Jack Hickey Can Tell You of Many Things
Sexual assaults, rapes, cruise ship
accidents, and admiralty and maritime accidents can
all cause serious personal injury that can affect the
victim’s way of life. Cruise ship sexual assault
attorney John H. (Jack) Hickey
has experience representing victims in Miami, throughout
the state of Florida, and around the world who have
suffered various forms of personal injury, on various
cruise lines, including as, Carnival, Royal Caribbean,
Celebrity, Disney, Norwegian, Princess, Canaveral, Renaissance,
and Seaborne, SilverSea Cruise Lines, as well as many
others. Many of these injuries include passengers or
crewmembers attacking other passengers or crewmembers,
as well as:
If you have been a victim of any of
the above listed injuries, there are certain things
that should be done immediately. Contact law enforcement
personnel as soon as possible, which could be at the
next port of call, or via a satellite phone from the
ship. Pictures should be taken by law enforcement and
evidence should be collected as soon as possible. The
victim is encouraged to not bathe before contacting
personnel because the victim could have evidence on
his or her person. Do not let the cruise
line pressure the victim into letting the cruise
line take care of the situation; the cruise line does
not have your best interests in mind. Contact the cruise
ship rape lawyer John H. (Jack) Hickey in Miami, Florida
about what steps should be taken.
Cruise Ship
Sexual Assault and Cruise Ship Rapes
Though sexual assaults can occur
anywhere at any time, a sexual assault that occurs while
on the high seas is especially terrifying to the victim
since that person is stuck in the middle of the ocean
with nowhere to go. Our firm knows how delicate these
situations can be for the victims and we work closely
with our clients to resolve the situation as quickly
as possible. We have experience in looking into other
complaints against each cruise line to see if there
is a discernible pattern. If there is a pattern, Florida
Law provides protection for the victims against the
cruise line’s negligence. When cruise ship sexual
assaults and rapes occur, the cruise lines tend to want
to settle quietly; our firm has experience in dealing
with the cruise line’s methods and we look into
the best way to handle each individual case.
If a person, whether another passenger or crew member, participates in sexual acts with a minor (under the age of 16), this person has committed sexual assault or rape. At this age, it does not matter whether or not the victim gave “consent”.
Cruise Ship Accidents
Accidents occur on cruise ships all
the time; a cruise line often tries to protect itself
by putting clauses and provisions onto a passenger’s
ticket that limits the amount of time that a passenger
has to make a claim, which is often three years, depending
on the situation. Since many of the major cruise lines
are based in Florida, many of the clauses on a passenger’s
ticket specify that all litigation must take place in
Florida. As a firm that has vast experience in cruise
ship accidents, we understand these clauses and, while
many of our clients live outside of Florida, we have
the means to represent our clients throughout Florida.
Though many cruise lines are foreign owned, by making
even one port of call in Florida, our firm can use our
knowledge of international treaties to go after the
cruise lines.
Admiralty Law
We have very substantial and unique experience in representing people with claims in regard to admiralty and maritime law. Admiralty and maritime law are specialized areas of the law that regulate accidents and injuries of the crew (seamen) and of the passengers on ships, yachts, and recreational boats. John H. (Jack) Hickey represented the cruise lines and shipping companies for 15 years. Several years ago, he switched to representing only passengers and crew (seamen) against the cruise lines and shipping companies. Hickey is past chair of the Admiralty Law Committee for the Florida Bar, and he is an active member of the admiralty law section of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA) and of the Florida Admiralty Trial Lawyers Association (FLATLA). Hickey has lectured on admiralty and maritime law for 20 years to various organizations, including the Florida Bar and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.
Congress passed a maritime law called the Jones Act to protect seamen who work on ships, offshore oil rigs, or other sea-going vessels, such as barges, riverboats, and fishing boats. Under the Jones Act, a seaman is entitled to recover damages if he is injured during employment. If a seaman is injured or killed because of negligence or defective equipment, the employer may be liable. Federal courts have determined that the term seaman extends to people who are employed on a vessel to assist in the main purpose of the voyage, and whose duties are rendered on vessels engaged in commerce or trade. The Jones Act can also cover inland river workers and offshore workers, as well as divers and underwater personnel.
The Jones Act is not workers' compensation law, meaning you must prove that seaman's employer was negligent and, therefore, at fault for your injury. The statute of limitations for a maritime law injury suit by a seaman is three years, so it is imperative that you contact an admiralty and maritime law attorney right away.
Maritime Accidents
Accidents that occur on the high seas often fall under Maritime Law rules. As a maritime law firm, we have experience in applying maritime laws to the various incidents that occur while in the water. While it is often difficult to determine the territory of the waters, such as whether the incident occurs on international waters, our firm has the knowledge to determine these territories.
Cruise Passenger Disappearance
Both passengers and crew members have disappeared while on the high seas. Both cruise lines and government entities tend to carefully guard the numbers of missing cruise passengers and cruise members as well as information regarding each person’s search and rescue events. While standard procedures call for search and rescue teams to be deployed for missing cruise passengers and crew members, these search and rescue teams are not always successful. Though many passengers and crew members are found within hours of their disappearances, some people have been lost simply because the cruise line did not reasonably perform the search and rescue operations, which create a liability for the cruise line.
If you have suffered one of these injuries
as the result of another person's or cruise
line’s negligence or wrongdoing, you may be
entitled to compensation. Contact
cruise ship sexual assault attorney and maritime lawyer
John H. (Jack) Hickey in Miami, Florida, to discuss
your case.
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