Unparalleled Experience In Admiralty And Maritime Injury Law

Attorneys Protecting Victims Of On-The-Water Slip-And-Fall Accidents

Most waterway accidents and injuries involve collisions or vessel malfunctions. Slip-and-fall cases seem more common on land in grocery stores and restaurants. However, slip-and-falls happen often on boats and watercraft of all kinds. The basics of liability are similar to those of land-based slip-and-fall cases, but there are numerous nuances and distinctions that need to be addressed.

If you’ve been injured in a slip-and-fall while on a boat, you need an experienced maritime lawyer to help you. At Munch and Munch, P.A., we have a wealth of experience serving clients in Tampa and throughout Florida in all types of injury claims, with a particular focus on waterway claims. Our lead attorney, Jacob Munch, has remarkable experience in claims of this kind. With more than 35 years of legal experience and a bachelor’s degree in marine engineering and nautical science, he also has experience working at sea for a living. He was a Merchant Marine officer licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard as a 3rd mate and 3rd assistant engineer.

Basic Liability

Regardless of where on the vessel (on a gangway, on deck, near the pool, at a restaurant, on a ladder or stairwell, on a tender, etc.) you fell or the type of flooring surface you slipped on, the ship and its crew owes the legal duty to its passengers to use reasonable care in maintaining the ship. This duty includes correcting dangerous conditions, marking or indicating areas where foreign or slippery substances are present, and providing passengers with visual or verbal warnings of dangerous areas. If the foreign substance or dangerous condition is not corrected or marked within a reasonable amount of time, regardless of who created the condition, the ship will be responsible for any resulting injuries.

What Type Of Claim Do You Have?

Although these liability principles are similar to those that govern on-land slip-and-fall claims, bringing a water-based slip-and-fall case is much more complicated.

The direction we take for your case and the type of compensation we can fight for can change dramatically, depending on fact-based details like:

  • What type of boat you were on (cruise ship, tanker, fishing boat, etc.)
  • Where the boat was at the time of the accident (docked, in waters near the shore, inland lake or river, deep in the ocean, etc.)
  • Your role on the vessel (maintenance crew, cruise ship guest on vacation, captain, etc.)

These are just some of the details needed to determine whether we will be bringing a Jones Act claim, a regular maritime law claim, a Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act claim or some other type of claim entirely.

It is vitally important to your claim to document the surrounding circumstances. This can include photos and, possibly, videos of the scene; the name(s) and contact information of any witnesses or crew members present at the scene who observed the dangerous condition or other circumstances of your fall; and documentation of all injuries.

Contact Us

A maritime slip-and-fall can be an extremely complicated case, but our lawyers know this area of law well and can help you get maximum compensation for all your injuries and losses. Call us at 888-976-3759 or contact us online for a free consultation.