Canadian Resident Sues Princess Cruise Lines After Unsecured Mattress Slides Off Bed Frame During Rough Weather on Emerald Princess

Nisha Shivdasani, a resident and citizen of Canada, has filed a maritime personal injury lawsuit against Princess Cruise Lines, Ltd. in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The lawsuit, filed under Case No. 1:26-cv-24518-WPD, alleges that Shivdasani suffered serious and permanent physical injuries after being thrown onto the cabin floor when her unsecured mattress slid off its frame during rough seas while she was sleeping aboard the Emerald Princess.

Cruise Passenger Injured Aboard Emerald Princess Due to Unsecured Mattress in Accessible Cabin

According to the complaint, the incident occurred during back-to-back voyages booked from April 29, 2025, through May 22, 2025, where Shivdasani was staying in an ADA accessible stateroom configured for three beds. The cruise line arranged the room so that Shivdasani’s bed was open and exposed on both sides with nothing holding the mattress in place. During the initial portion of the cruise, the ship encountered severe weather conditions causing the vessel to roll, pitch, and heave, which sent the unsecured mattress sliding and threw her to the ground. Although Shivdasani immediately reported the issue to her stateroom attendant, the crew allegedly failed to provide alternative accommodations or properly fix the hazard. Instead, an attendant installed a single, loose bedrail on just one side of the bed, leaving the opposite side unprotected. The mattress continued to shift, and despite multiple subsequent complaints from the passenger, no further corporate corrective action was taken to stabilize her sleeping area.

Princess Cruise Lines Accused of Failing to Maintain Stateroom Safety and Ignore Known Cabin Hazards

The maritime lawsuit alleges that Princess Cruise Lines had actual and constructive knowledge of the dangerous conditions within the stateroom before the secondary, major impact occurred. On the night of May 11, 2025, the ship’s captain announced that the vessel would be encountering rough weather. At approximately 1:15 a.m. on May 12, 2025, the severe motion of the ship caused the unstable mattress to slide completely off the frame again, violently throwing the sleeping passenger onto the floor. Following the incident, a shipboard security officer inspected the room and allegedly admitted to the passenger that Princess vessels were previously outfitted with specialized clips designed to lock mattresses to bed frames to prevent shifting. However, the security officer revealed that management chose to discontinue and remove these safety clips fleet-wide approximately one year prior. The plaintiff points to this corporate decision, along with prior notice from her initial complaints and historical rough-sea incidents on sister ships like the Crown Princess and Ruby Princess, as evidence that the cruise operator knew the removal of the hardware posed a direct hazard to sleeping passengers.

Lawsuit Alleges Improper Mattress Setup, Inadequate Maintenance, and Negligent Repair of Accessible Stateroom Bed

Beyond failing to permanently secure the mattress, the complaint asserts that Princess Cruise Lines and its shipboard staff executed an entirely inadequate and negligent repair attempt. The installation of a single, unanchored bedrail did not fix the underlying structural issue and failed to stop the mattress from sliding when the ocean-going vessel encountered heavy waves. The lawsuit claims that the cruise line’s shoreside management, hotel operations, and safety departments failed to properly evaluate the risks of stripping mattress-securing clips from passenger beds, especially inside handicap-accessible cabins designed for guests with additional mobility needs. The ship’s housekeeping staff reportedly had daily, direct visual confirmation that the mattress was sliding out of place during routine morning and evening turndown services, yet they failed to escalate the safety threat through the corporate chain of command or properly inspect the functionality of the bed setup.

Plaintiff Seeks Compensation for Permanent Shoulder Injury, Subconjunctival Hemorrhage, and Disrupted Vacation Expenses

Shivdasani’s legal counsel has brought eight comprehensive counts of negligence against the cruise operator, including vicarious liability for failure to maintain, inspect, and warn, alongside direct counts of general negligence, failure to supervise, and failure to train. As a result of striking the floor during the midnight fall, the plaintiff sustained severe injuries across her body and extremities, including a major right shoulder injury that required surgical intervention, injuries to her right elbow and hand, and a subconjunctival hemorrhage that caused extensive bleeding in her left eye. The complaint states that her physical trauma, emotional distress, and functional impairments are permanent and continuing. Consequently, she is seeking compensatory damages for ongoing medical care, past and future lost wages, diminished earning capacity, and the total lost value of her multi-week vacation investment.

Contact a Cruise Ship Cabin Injury Lawyer Today if You Were Hurt Due to Unsafe Accommodations or Crew Negligence

Cruise line operators have a non-delegable legal obligation under general maritime law to maintain passenger staterooms, public spaces, and boarding areas in a reasonably safe condition. When cruise lines cut corners on cabin safety hardware, ignore repeated housekeeping maintenance complaints, or perform negligent repairs, passengers can suffer severe, life-altering injuries. If you or a family member sustained serious harm due to an unstable bed setup, a slip and fall, or hazardous cabin conditions while traveling on a commercial cruise ship, you may be legally entitled to significant compensation. Contact an experienced maritime injury attorney today to discuss your rights, investigate your accident, and protect your legal options against major cruise companies.

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Disclaimer: Our firm does not represent the plaintiff in this case and is not involved in the litigation. The information provided is a summary of allegations based on publicly available court filings. We make no representations about the truth of these allegations, are not commenting on the merits of the case, and are not predicting any outcome.