Carnival Cruise Line is named as a defendant in a federal lawsuit filed by a 22-year-old woman who lost both legs after a catamaran propeller struck her during a shore excursion in Nassau, Bahamas, on May 12, 2025.
Hannah Smith, a passenger aboard the Carnival Celebration, had booked the “Sun Club Beach Escape with Lunch” excursion to celebrate her recent graduation.
According to the amended complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Miami, she traveled to Pearl Island via a catamaran ferry operated by excursion companies Pearl Investment Management Group and Sun Cay.
The lawsuit also alleges drinks were spiked
The suit alleges that island staff plied Smith and her friend, Brooklyn Pitre, with excessive complimentary alcohol throughout the visit, including repeatedly pouring liquor directly into their mouths from plastic liter bottles. The drinks were allegedly spiked with a drug-facilitated sexual assault substance, and staff also allegedly furnished marijuana.
On the return ferry to Nassau, Smith asked a crewmember where the restroom was and was told, “use the water,” motioning toward the aft dive platforms. Earlier on the island, she had reportedly been told, “the ocean is your toilet.”
The complaint alleges that when Smith entered the water from the dive platform while holding a railing, the captain engaged the engine, causing the propeller to pull her under.
“She suddenly felt her lower extremities being sucked under the vessel,” the complaint states. She was pulled from the water by Pitre. Her left leg below the knee was almost completely severed except for a sliver of skin, and she sustained multiple deep lacerations across both legs and her pelvis.
The guest required more than 25 surgeries
Smith was initially treated at a hospital in Nassau before being airlifted to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital in Miami, where she underwent more than 25 surgeries over the course of two months.
Despite repeated efforts to save her right leg, she ultimately required three successive amputations, culminating in a full hip disarticulation on June 23, 2025. The complaint states she lost more than 60% of her blood supply and was in hypovolemic shock upon arrival at the Miami hospital.
She was discharged on July 18, 2025, and transferred to a rehabilitation facility. The lawsuit says she now faces a lifetime of prosthetics and ongoing psychological and physical care.
Smith is suing Pearl Investment Management Group, Sun Cay, and Carnival Cruise Line for negligence. Her lawyers argue that Carnival marketed the excursion as a safe, vetted experience and should bear responsibility for what occurred.
The lawsuit also alleges that complaints about dangerous alcohol service on the Pearl Island excursion predated the incident by at least six years.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, a Carnival spokesperson said: “Our thoughts are with Ms. Smith, and we wish her strength and healing.”
It went on to say, “At Carnival Cruise Line, we continuously strive to keep our guests and crew safe as a priority. Out of respect for ongoing legal proceedings, we are unable to comment further.”
