Cruise Ship Lawyers Blog
The latest data suggests that cruise ships that sailed in 2024 brought in $2.6 billion in annual tourism revenue to Nassau, Bahamas while bringing in the most annual visitors to date.
Tourism is a crucial factor in the country’s economy and accounts for approximately 60% of the country’s gross domestic product. About half of the Bahamian workforce is employed by the tourism industry.
In 2023, the country had a record-breaking year with over 4.4 million visitors. Before that, the record was 3.2 million visitors in 2022. In 2024, the cruise industry brough about 5.6 million visitors, according to port officials.
Another record set by the cruise industry in 2024 includes the number of ships docked in Nassau at once. That record was broken on March 12, 2024, with the welcoming of seven ships in one day.
This comes at a time when the cruise industry itself is expanding. Bigger ships allow more passengers and the addition of onboard attractions to compete with one another such as daring slides and towering rock-climbing walls. In nearly 50 years of personal injury practice, Leesfield & Partners has represented countless victims of cruise ship negligence.
Leesfield & Partners
Though cruise ships are marketed as a haven away from the troubles of daily life, it does not take very long for a long-awaited vacation to turn into a nightmare. Something as simple as a puddle of water on a slippery deck or cruise ship dance floor can become a cause for concern with serious consequences, if not handled properly, as was the case for numerous Leesfield & Partners clients.
The firm previously handled the case of a family of an 8-year-old girl who died when she was separated from her family while traveling on a cruise ship. When the little girl leaned over an interior balcony railing that was not properly installed, she fell several stories to her death.
The firm secured a confidential amount for the family in that devastating case.
The life of a young boy who was playing basketball on a ship was forever changed when he dove for an out-of-bounds ball and hit his head on a steel, unpadded grommet. The boy sustained a traumatic brain injury from the incident.
A multi-million-dollar recovery was obtained for the client in that case.
A passenger who tripped and fell on a cruise line that failed to ensure its ship was free of the hazards that caused this incident was awarded $750,000 thanks to Leesfield & Partners attorneys.
In addition to premises liability cases aboard cruise ships, Leesfield & Partners has handled an array of criminal cases.
One Leesfield & Partners client, a Canadian woman traveling on a ship, was brutally raped by a crew member who used his employee keycard to enter her room. The firm secured a multi-million-dollar recovery for the woman in that case.
Another Leesfield & Partners client was on a ship when he was descended upon by a violent mob.
The firm is currently handling the case of a woman who was filmed without her knowledge in her private stateroom bathroom by a cruise ship employee who had access to her room. This employee also planted hidden cameras in the cabins of other guests, filming both adults and minors. While that employee was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his crimes, the cruise line, as a common carrier, must answer for the damage caused to these passengers.
The ongoing case is being handled by Bernardo Pimentel II, a Trial Lawyer at the firm.
Leesfield & Partners attorneys have also handled shocking cases involving medical malpractice by cruise line doctors and their staff who do not always meet the standards of U.S. medical requirements. In these cases, Leesfield & Partners has seen injuries to patients who were denied evacuations in the middle of medical emergencies and amputations resulting from catastrophic choices made by cruise doctors.
One Leesfield & Partners client who required a blood transfusion on board the ship was given HIV positive blood. The firm secured a multi-million-dollar recovery for the client in that case.
The firm obtained $4 million for a woman whose cruise lined failed to evacuate her.
Another woman whose cruise ship’s medical team failed to adequately treat was awarded $3 million thanks to Leesfield & Partners attorneys.
Leesfield & Partners obtained $1.75 million for a patient who was not allowed to disembark in the middle of a medical emergency.
