Carnival Corp has been ordered to pay almost $350,000 in damages to a guest involved in a slip-and-fall incident during a Caribbean cruise. The line was found liable for multiple injuries suffered by plaintiff, Vivian Ruiz Rondon, during a sailing in May 2023.
Guest Suffered Injuries in a Fall
The cruise company hasn’t ruled out an appeal. The guest fell while walking into a threshold, which is an elevated metal step that connects the ship’s doors with guest hallways.
The threshold should be securely fixed to the floor and aligned with the carpet. The civil complaint alleged that a large gap caused the fall.
“Carnival allowed a large gap to exist between the carpet and the threshold on Deck 12 on board the Carnival Celebration,” the lawsuit stated. It should have displayed a warning sign or blocked the door off, it said.
“As a direct result, Rondon tripped and fell. Her right sandal and foot got trapped in the large gap between the carpet and the metal of the loose open doorway threshold causing Rondon to fall.”
The gap separates the fire zones on the ship.
“Rondon undoubtedly deserves some damages,” wrote U.S. District Court Judge Roy Altman in the ruling. “The Defendant agrees that she suffered three sets of serious injuries from her fall: a fractured right arm; a dislocated right shoulder; and partial tears to two rotator-cuff tendons.”
However, the $344,051.24 payout was much reduced from the plaintiff’s initial demand for nearly $14 million.
Carnival Corp May Appeal Ruling
Throughout the case, Carnival maintained the accident was entirely the guest’s fault. “Carnival and its crew members did not owe plaintiff a duty to warn because the alleged dangerous condition was open and obvious, and she should have perceived same through the use of her own senses,” said Fowler White Burnett, the law firm representing Carnival.
“We are considering the judgment, as well as the available options, to determine next steps,” a Carnival Corp spokesperson said.
