When cruise line employees are hired, they are entitled to certain insurance benefits if they become ill or injured while onboard. Unfortunately, cruise lines often blame the crewmember, alleging that the accident was their fault, in an effort to defend claims made by the crewmember. Matters become even more complicated when a death ensues from the accident. When there is no one to defend the deceased crewmember’s point of view, the family, who would otherwise be entitled to life insurance benefits, may be forced to forsake their claims. This is especially true when it comes to suicide claims.  However, hiring a cruise injury lawyer is key to ensuring that the rights of the crewmember’s family are protected.

The Suicide Clause

When it comes to insurance policies, most companies include a suicide clause that will stipulate how much – if anything – surviving loved ones will obtain in damages.  Some companies will allow for a payout, provided that the suicide occurred several years after the policyholder signed their contract, while other companies limit the amount that will be issued to loved ones in the event the policy holder takes their own life. As far as maritime law is concerned, there are specific rules that regulate whether or not the family of a crewmember that commits suicide will be compensated.

There is a certain amount of time in which claims must be brought forward; and the majority of insurance companies will stipulate that the crewmember must have been employed for at least two years before the remaining family members can collect on life insurance. Further, there are instances where a death is initially deemed to be crewmember suicide but where a cruise accident lawyer is able to later establish that the death was the direct result of the cruise line’s own negligence.

When Cruise Lines are Responsible for the Fatality

A cruise ship accident can happen for several reasons, including the negligence of the cruise company or of authorities onboard. Cruise ship fatalities can be the result of many different factors: food poisoning, disease, assault by other crewmembers or passengers, slip and falls, and other incidents that could have been avoided, had the cruise line taken the proper precautions and/or responsibility for the incident. 

Cruise lines have a responsibility to make sure there are no hazardous conditions onboard the vessels that can somehow cause injury to its crewmembers and passengers. Oftentimes, crewmembers become ill and turn to the medical personnel onboard, only to get turned away, denied the proper care, or cruise authorities fail to act quickly to find alternative medical assistance, and death results.

The crewmembers who become victims of negligence may be entitled to damages, medical compensation and lost wages for the wrongdoing of the cruise line itself.  In these cases, having a top cruise injury lawyer on your side will ensure that your rights and those of your deceased loved one are protected if the fatality was the result of the cruise line’s negligence. 

Proving Suicide Over Accidental Death or Homicide

When cruise lines try to make it seem as though the crewmember committed suicide, when in reality the fatality was accidental, caused by negligence or even a homicide, the worker’s surviving loved ones should seek legal assistance immediately. Whether because they are struggling with loss of revenue or an internal issue, cruise lines may try to make it seem as though the deceased took their own lives in order to avoid liability.

Sometimes, a death that was ruled a suicide is actually a crime or the result of negligence. There are also times in which the crewmember did in fact commit suicide, but it was the result of mental illness which was not promptly or adequately treated by the cruise line. In these cases, the cruise line still may be directly liable for the death. Hiring a cruise accident lawyer is key to ensuring the truth is revealed and the rightful payouts are handed out.