• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Madalon Law

  • (877) IT-MATTERS
  • (954) 923-0072
  • Home
  • Legal Team
    • Joseph Madalon, Esq.
    • Leandro Carvalho, Esq.
    • Susan Lee, Esq.
  • Practice Areas
    • Property Damage
    • Hurricane Damage
    • Roof Damage
    • Water Damage
    • Amusement Park Accidents
    • Aviation Accidents
    • Bar / Nightclub Accidents
    • Bicycle Accidents
    • Birth Injury
    • Boating Accidents
    • Burn Injury
    • Bus Accidents
    • Car Accident
    • Construction Accidents
    • Head and Brain Injuries
    • Horse Riding Accident
    • Lyft Accident Attorneys
    • Maritime Attorneys
    • Medical Malpractice
    • Motorcycle Accidents
    • Negligent Security
    • Nursing Home Abuse
    • Pedestrian Accidents
    • Premises Liability
    • Product Liability
    • Sexual Harassment
    • Slip and Fall
    • Spinal Injury
    • Swimming Pool Accident
    • Theme Park Injuries
    • Truck Accident
    • Uber Accident Attorneys
    • Vacation / Hotel Accident
    • Wrongful Death
    • Class Action Lawsuits
    • CPAP Recall Lawsuit
  • Results
  • Videos
  • Blog
    • Articles
  • FAQs
  • Contact
  • En Español
  • Inicio
  • Nosotros
    • Equipo Legal
    • Biografia de Joseph Madalon
  • Lesiones Personales
  • Resultados
  • Videos en Español
  • Contacto
  • En inglés

Can passengers sue a cruise line after an outbreak of sickness in Miami?

When someone takes a vacation on a cruise ship, this is the last time they would expect to have a problem. However, these vessels have had numerous problems in recent years, which often result in lawsuits. One incident that received much media attention was a viral outbreak on a ship that sailed from South Florida.

 

The cruise line Royal Caribbean had a severe outbreak of norovirus on its large ship The Independence of the Seas. While a few hundred cases were officially reported over the course of the five day cruise, many passengers believe that hundreds more who were ill simply gave up on waiting in long lines for treatment or remained in their cabins. The cruise line claims that about 6% of the approximately 5000 passengers on board contracted the illness. Victims were treated by Royal Caribbean’s medical staff with over the counter medications.

 

The cruise ship returned to Port Everglades in Florida, which is just north of Miami near Fort Lauderdale.

 

What is norovirus?

 

Norovirus is a short lived gastrointestinal illness that causes acute vomiting and diarrhea over the course of several hours, or up to a day in some cases. While the illness is fairly common and usually does not have serious consequences, those who are elderly, very young, or in poor health can experience severe dehydration and other problems. Medical professionals recommend that regular hand washing is usually a sufficient defense against catching norovirus.

 

This virus is also very contagious and the close quarters of a cruise ship can obviously exacerbate this problem. This is because thousands of people will potentially eat or use the restroom in the same enclosed area within a short period of time. A Royal Caribbean spokesperson said that after the vessel returned, workers for the cruise line had to sanitize the entire ship and take other additional cleaning measures to avoid future issues. These cleaning measures are especially important, as tainted water or food is a common way that norovirus spreads.

 

What are the legal remedies for the passengers?

 

When passengers on a cruise get sick, a lawyer needs to prove that the company operating the ship was somehow either at fault and caused the outbreak, or failed to take some kind of necessary precautions that led to the problem. While one person getting something as common as norovirus may have a difficult time proving that the cruise line was negligent, cases such as the one above that result in large outbreaks would tend to suggest that proper procedures may not have been followed for things like cleanliness or food preparation. This can possibly be traced to an employee such as a kitchen staff member or janitor on the ship. A subsequent investigation into the incident as well as the services of an aggressive lawyer can be helpful for injured passengers to receive some kind of compensation related to the losses they incurred.

 

 

Keep in mind that when these kinds of accidents happen, many issues will be governed by the rules of maritime law, rather than regular civil law, because the incident occurred on the seas. This is why it is especially important to have help from an attorney with experience in maritime law rather than contacting a generalist.

 

Get help after an accident on a cruise

 

To get help from an attorney who handles cruise ship accidents and knows the specifics of maritime law, contact Madalon Law. Their attorneys routinely deal with lawsuits against cruise lines in the Miami area.

 

 

https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/16/us/cruise-ship-illness/index.html

 

https://madalonlaw.com/maritime-attorneys/

 

https://madalonlaw.com/contact-us/

Areas of Practice

roller coaster ride with trees in foreground

Amusement Park Accidents

plane on runway getting ready for takeoff

Aviation Accidents

people drinking and dancing at a bar

Bar and Nightclub Fights

woman ready to get on a bicycle

Bicycle Accidents

emergency room sign at the entrance of hospital

Birth Injury

cruisde ship at dock

Boating and Cruise Ship Accidents

fire burning and burned skin

Burn Injuries

school bus picking up kids at bus stop

Bus Accidents

two cars in car crash at intersection

Car Accidents

constuction worker that got hurt working on job site

Construction Accidents

woman with head injury from a car accident

Head and Brain Injury

person riding a horse

Horse Riding Accident

cruise ship sailing on the sea

Maritime and Cruise Ship

medical professional with stethascope helping a patient

Medical Malpractice

motorcycle accidient with rider on the ground with injury

Motorcycle Accidents

security personnel at a concert

Negligent and/or Inadequate Security

nursing home patient laying in bed

Nursing Home Abuse and/or Negligence

man injured on ground from car that went through intersection

Pedestrian Accident

broken fence and cracked sidewalk

Premises Liability

sign wih the word defective spelled out

Product Liability

beach and palm trees at a vacation resort

Resort/Vacation Injuries

womans hands pushing away a man that is grabbing her

Sexual Harassment

yellow caution sign on floor with a person that slipped on the floor next to it

Slip and Fall

medical image of body and spine

Spinal Cord Injury

swimming pool with people jumping in the water

Swimming Pool Accidents

sign of walt disney world theme park entrance

Theme Park Injuries

semi truck driving on road

Truck Accidents

lady justice statue

Wrongful Death

Video Library

Blog

Understanding the Law

Fort Lauderdale

Main Office
100 N. Federal Hwy #CU5
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Map for Fort Lauderdale address
Phone: (954) 923-0072
Toll Free: (877) 486-2883
Fax: (954) 923-0074

West Palm Beach

By Appt. Only
515 N Flagler Dr Suite P-300
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Map for West Palm Beach address
Phone: (561)-243-1003
Toll Free: (877) 486-2883
Fax: (954) 923-0074

Miami

By Appt. Only
150 SE 2nd Ave, Suite 300
Miami FL 33131
Map for Miami address
Phone: (786) 401-5059
Toll Free: (877) 486-2883
Fax: (954) 923-0074
  • Home
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Site Map

Footer

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin

Google Plus

YouTube

Instagram

Pinterest

We serve the following localities:
BROWARD COUNTY including Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, Pompano Beach, Plantation, Coral Springs, Davie, Sunrise, Weston, Deerfield Beach and Miramar;
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY including Coral Gables, Cutler Bay, Doral, Hialeah, Homestead, Kendall West, Miami, Tamiami, The Hammocks, and Westchester;
PALM BEACH COUNTY including Belle Glade, Lake Worth, and West Palm Beach;
ORANGE COUNTY including Orlando and Winter Park;
OSCEOLA COUNTY including Kissimmee, Poinciana, and St. Cloud.
Areas Served

Copyright © 2023 · Madalon Law · Powered by: USAttorneys.com
Areas Served

X

Contact Madalon Law

    Contact Us

    Please prove you are human by selecting the Key.