Cruise Ship Coronavirus Negligence and Wrongful Death Suits

If you and your family are among the many in Texas who have been impacted by a case of COVID-19 contracted aboard a cruise ship, you may be wondering if there is a financial way forward. COVID-19 is a frightening disease with an unfortunately high mortality rate and may have lasting complications for a patient’s upper respiratory health, even after recovery. While nothing can repair the lasting damage done by a death in the family, a wrongful death claim can provide you some assistance in remaining financially stable after losing a member of your household. If you have been considering a negligence or wrongful death claim, Carabin Shaw’s team of experienced Texas injury attorneys can help. Call us today at 1-800-862-1260 for a free consultation.

COVID-19 is a novel and highly infectious viral illness for which few people were prepared. Additionally, taking a cruise is a personal decision, one which assumes a certain amount of risk. For these reasons, you may think that you have no ground to pursue a coronavirus claim in Texas against a cruise line. However, there is a better chance that a cruise company could be held liable for negligence than you might think.

Cruise liners provide many luxuries and essential services for their passengers, including medical services. These medical professionals are expected to uphold the standard of care, and failure to do so constitutes malpractice the same as it would on land. Failure to properly treat or respond to a COVID-19 case, or to ensure the safety of other passengers and employees after such a case is suspected or known, is a negligent act, one with potentially devastating consequences. There is precedent for medical malpractice suits against cruise lines, and the past few months have seen several cruise ship coronavirus negligence and wrongful death suits.

While there is unfortunately nothing that cruise companies could have done to prevent the presence of the virus aboard their ships, there are several ways that they could respond to a known threat that could be considered negligent. Some of these are:

• Failing to notify crew or passengers about known or suspected COVID-19 cases aboard the ship
• Allowing the boarding of new passengers without alerting them of known or suspected cases of COVID-19 aboard the ship
• Providing insufficient or negligent medical attention
• Failing to give crew access to necessary protective equipment
• Forcing crew to work in conditions that are known to be unsafe
• Not enforcing social distancing standards as recommended by the CDC

If you believe that the cruise line was guilty of any of the above, you may have grounds to successfully pursue a coronavirus claim in Texas. Get in touch with a personal injury lawyer to help you with your case.

The majority of personal injury claims, even ones as serious as wrongful death claims, are settled out of court. Claims do not always become lawsuits, and, when they do, they can take over a year to make it to court, in which time the two parties usually settle. An experienced Texas injury attorney will help you pursue and negotiate an appropriate settlement for your case. On the off-chance that your case does make it to court, your attorney will be able to guide you through that process as well.

Carabin Shaw’s team of Texas personal injury lawyers has decades of combined experience representing individuals like yourself in malpractice and negligence claims. We will do everything we can to get you and your family the compensation you deserve. To schedule a meeting with an attorney, or for a free consultation, call 1-800-862-1260 today.