BASKETBALL ACCIDENTS ON CRUISE SHIPS
Hurt playing basketball on a cruise ship? Find out if the court was safe.
Many large cruise ships have an outdoor sports court, where guests play basketball on a surface that can be wet, hot or tilted by the ship’s motion, often right beside a railing or a fence. If the surface, the hoops, the padding or the supervision fell short, however, the cruise line may have to answer for it. Because crew and cameras watch the court, early action can matter.
Most cruise tickets give you one year to file, and often six months to give written notice. So the clock started the day you were hurt.
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Results
- $150KCarnival · passenger accident
- $80KRoyal · slip & fall
- $35KRoyal · slip & fall
- $100KHolland America · slip & fall
- $38KMSC · slip & fall
- $70KCarnival · slip & fall on deck
HOW BASKETBALL ACCIDENTS HAPPEN
A cruise ship court is small, wet and always moving.
A sports court on a ship is smaller than a standard court and sits high on an open deck, so a hard cut, a slippery step or a sudden roll of the ship can send a player into a fence, a pole or the deck. Because games are often pickup games with strangers of mixed ages, the way the court is built and supervised matters as much as how anyone plays.
A cruise line owes the people on board reasonable care. For example, a case may look at how the surface was kept, how the hoops and backboards were anchored, whether poles and walls were padded, and whether play continued in rough seas. In addition, camera footage, inspection logs and earlier injury reports can show what the line knew and when.
Slippery or wet court surfaces
Spray, rain and condensation on the playing surface.
Ankle, knee & ligament injuries
Twists and falls on uneven or worn surfaces.
Head & facial injuries
Collisions, falls and balls to the face.
Unpadded poles, walls & fences
Hard obstacles close to the playing area.
Unstable hoops & backboards
Goals that tip, loosen or fall.
Worn, cracked or uneven surfaces
Damaged courts that were not repaired.
Ship motion & sloping decks
Games allowed to continue in rolling seas.
Crowded, mixed-age games
Children and adults on a small court with no clear rules.
Anywhere else around the court
Railings, stairs and netting. A hazard isn’t limited to the places listed here.
WHAT YOU HAVE TO PROVE
The court was not kept safe.
Under general maritime law, a cruise line owes passengers reasonable care under the circumstances. In a basketball case, that usually means showing the line knew, or should have known, about the danger, for example a slick surface, a loose hoop or an unpadded pole, and did not fix or warn about it. It can also mean showing the line did not supervise the court as it reasonably should have.
A dangerous condition
A slick or damaged surface, a loose hoop or a hard, unpadded obstacle.
Notice
Crew knew, or it existed long enough that they should have.
Injury and loss
Medical records, ongoing care, lost income and the trip itself.
WHAT TO DO AFTER A BASKETBALL INJURY
Get checked first, then record the court.
Get medical care right away
Head injuries and fractures can be missed at first, so get checked even if you feel fine. Keep every bill and record.
Report it and ask for the report
Tell the crew and guest services, then ask for a copy of the incident report. Do not sign statements you have not read.
Photograph the court
Take pictures of the surface, the hoops, the poles and fences, any signs and your injuries, if you can do so safely.
Get names
Collect names for the crew and for the players and guests who saw what happened.
Keep your ticket and folio
Your ticket sets the deadlines and the court. Save your folio and messages from the cruise line too.
Call a Cruise Injury Attorney
Camera footage and inspection logs can be overwritten, and the court can be repaired. We can send a written request that they be preserved.
BASKETBALL RESULTS
All results[Confirm] INJURY TYPE
$0.0M[Confirm] One plain line about a real court case the firm handled.
[Confirm] INJURY TYPE
$0.0M[Confirm] One plain line about a real court case the firm handled.
[Confirm] INJURY TYPE
$0.0M[Confirm] One plain line about a real court case the firm handled.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
IN CLIENTS’ WORDS
“Great firm with amazing professionals and support staff. They were diligent and made me feel like their own client. Hopefully I won’t need their services again but if I do, I’ll be back.”
“Chalik & Chalik is a great firm if you prefer a smaller and more family oriented firm. The paralegals at this firm are an absolute treasure and they will work so hard to help you out and make sure you are taken care of throughout the case and if you have any questions they will help answer any of them.”
QUESTIONS BEFORE THE CALL
Can I sue a cruise line for a basketball injury?
Often, yes, depending on the facts. A cruise line can be held responsible when it fails to take reasonable care, for example with a slick surface, a loose hoop or an unpadded pole. However, the ticket can limit where and when you can file. For that reason, a free case review is the quickest way to learn where you stand.
What if another player caused my injury?
Another player may be responsible, and the cruise line may be too. A collision in a pickup game is part of the sport, but not a court that was too slick, too small or too poorly padded. As a result, we look at both who did what and how the court was kept.
I signed a waiver or accepted the rules. Does that stop me?
Not necessarily. Waivers and posted rules are often raised as defenses, but they do not always end a claim. Because the details matter, please keep a copy of anything you signed and call us before you assume anything.
Does it matter that the seas were rough or the deck was wet?
It can. A cruise line may have to stop play or close the court when the deck is wet or the ship is rolling heavily. Because conditions change from hour to hour, please write down what the weather and the surface were like when you were hurt.
My child was hurt on the court. Does anything change?
It can. Claims for children can follow different rules from claims for adults, so please call us even if time seems to have passed. In the meantime, keep your child’s medical records, anything a parent signed and your booking.
How long do I have to file a basketball injury claim?
Most cruise tickets give you one year to file, and often six months to give written notice, both far shorter than usual injury deadlines. Because the clock may already be running, please call as soon as you can. We will then check the dates that apply to your ticket.
What does it cost to find out if I have a case?
Nothing. The case review is free, and if we take your case, we work on contingency, so our fee comes only from what we recover for you. If we do not win, you owe us nothing in attorney fees.
FREE CASE REVIEW
Hurt on a cruise? Talk to Debi’s team today.
No fee unless we win. The call costs nothing, and we respond as soon as possible.