After much uncertainty, the two Holland America Line cruise ships that had been denied access to multiple ports have approved to start the process of docking and disembarking sick passengers and crew members in Florida. According to NBCNews.com, the Broward County Commission in Fort Lauderdale is expected to approve a plan to allow the Zaandam and Rotterdam ships to dock at Port Everglades on Thursday afternoon.
The Rotterdam is scheduled to dock at 1 p.m. local time and the Zaandam will dock at 1:30 p.m. The Holland America vessels arrived off the coast of Fort Lauderdale early Thursday morning with around 230 passengers and crew members who experienced flulike symptoms. There have been four deaths on the Zaandam and at least eight confirmed cases of coronavirus. In past statements, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Broward County Commissioner Michael Udine said they would not allow the Zaandam and its sister ship, the Rotterdam, to dock in the state due to concerns about the strain the coronavirus patients would have on the region’s medical facilities. The Rotterdam was sent on March 22 to rendezvous with the Zaandam to deliver supplies and COVID-19 testing kit, but both vessels were left stranded at sea as ports turned them away. The Zaandam has been at sea since March 7.
Miami Cruise Ship Accidents
If you or a loved one was injured on a cruise ship that left out of the Port of Miami, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. At Suarez & Montero, our Miami cruise ship lawyers stand ready to protect your rights! It’s important to understand that if you or a loved one suffered injuries onboard a cruise ship accident time is working against you.
Statute of limitations are in most instances one year from the date of your injury. Therefore, it is important to contact a lawyer with experience litigating against cruise ship companies like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and others in order to preserve your legal rights.
Common Cruise Ship Accidents and Injuries
Some of the most common cruise ship accidents include slip and falls, falling overboard, fallen objects, dock accidents, swimming pool or water slide injuries, injuries on excursions taken on shore, medical malpractice, and sexual or physical assault.
Below is a short list of some of the most common injuries that result from cruise ship accidents:
Spinal Cord Injuries: Spinal cord injuries often affect victims for the rest of their lives. When the nerves of the spinal cord are damaged, it can be difficult or even impossible for the brain to communicate with the rest of the body. As a result, spinal cord injuries can result in loss of range of motion, numbness, pain, sensations of pins and needles, and even paralysis below the point of injury.
Burn Injuries: Serious burns can happen in a wide variety of cruise ship accidents. In serious cases, victims can be left with disfiguring injuries and permanent scarring that can significantly affect their appearance and physical ability.
Soft Tissue Injuries: Soft tissue injuries encompass a wide variety of injuries, including sprains, strains, lacerations, and contusions. While these injuries are often minor, they can also be extremely serious and may even require emergency medical treatment such as surgery to correct. Soft-tissue injuries, such as muscle strain and damage to ligaments, may qualify as serious injuries if they result in significant limitation of a body function, permanent loss of use of a body organ, or permanent consequential limitation of a body function or system.
Fractures and broken bones: Broken and fractured legs, ribs, arms, ankles, and wrists are fairly common in cruise ship accidents. Severity ranges from simple breaks that require a cast to serious breaks or compound fractures that may require surgery to repair.
Call Today for a Free Consultation!
At Suarez & Montero, we have been helping cruise ship accident victims throughout South Florida stand up and obtain compensation for over 19 years. Our firm knows how to handle complicated legal issues, negotiate your personal injury settlement, and protect your legal rights. All you need to do is focus on healing and recovering. We have the experience, resources, and skill to hold the negligent parties accountable and recover the compensation our clients need. Because our team is prepared to go to trial to obtain full and fair compensation, we often are able to negotiate favorable settlements out of court.
We also handle all personal injury cases on a contingency basis. That means we handle all the costs of your case until you recover compensation for your injuries. Our fee is a percentage of that settlement. If we are unsuccessful, you don’t owe us a dime. Over the years, we have noticed that many valid cruise ship injury cases are undervalued, delayed, or denied by insurance companies in the hope that the victims will simply give up.
Insurance companies have attorneys, adjusters, and medical experts who are paid to save the company money by minimizing or denying claims. With our help, however, you can stand up to insurance companies and any other negligent parties.
