Georgia Minor Sues Carnival Cruise Line After Catastrophic Hip Injury on Slippery Lido Deck Pool Flooring Aboard Carnival Mardi Gras

A minor passenger from Georgia, by and through her natural grandmother and legal guardian, Anne Denise Johnson, has filed a maritime personal injury lawsuit against Carnival Corporation in the Southern District of Florida. The lawsuit, filed under Case No. 1:26-cv-24089-DPG, alleges that the twelve-year-old plaintiff, A.M., suffered a catastrophic hip fracture after slipping on an unreasonably dangerous and wet synthetic decking surface while walking toward a towel hut aboard the Carnival Mardi Gras on June 18, 2025.

Minor Cruise Passenger Suffers Life-Altering Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis Fracture on Wet Synthetic Teak Lido Deck

According to the complaint, the severe injury occurred around 4:00 p.m. while the vessel was navigating international waters after returning from a port of call. The minor plaintiff and a friend walked onto the Lido Deck (Deck 16) near the main pool to retrieve towels from the crew-manned towel station. As she approached the hut, her feet suddenly slipped on a wet section of the outdoor walkway, which was surfaced with a composite polyresin material manufactured to look like natural teak wood flooring. The sudden fall forced her legs into an unnatural, high-impact split that subjected her left hip to extreme torsional shearing and downward axial loading. This violent mechanism caused a transphyseal-separation displaced fracture of her left hip, specifically diagnosed as an acute, high-grade slipped capital femoral epiphysis. The complaint notes that despite several crew members being stationed nearby at the towel hut, none immediately assisted the child as she lay screaming in distress in a puddle of water before medical personnel arrived to transport her to the shipboard infirmary on a stretcher.

Carnival Accused of Failing to Maintain Safe Pool Decks and Ignoring Hundreds of Prior Fleetwide Slip and Fall Lawsuits

The lawsuit alleges that Carnival Corporation had both actual and constructive knowledge of the dangerous, slippery nature of its exterior lido flooring. Legal counsel for the plaintiff highlights that the polyresin surface material, marketed as API Syntheteak, has been installed across twenty-nine cruise ships in Carnival’s fleet and has been the subject of hundreds of prior passenger slip and fall injuries. The complaint lists a extensive pattern of recent personal injury lawsuits filed against Carnival in the Southern District of Florida involving similar wet Lido Deck conditions, specifically citing Alexandra Melendez v. Carnival Corp., Hicks v. Carnival Corp., William Hornsberger v. Carnival Corp., Ernest Holliday v. Carnival Corp., Tyrone Viruet v. Carnival Corp., Toyna Blythe v. Carnival Corp., Derrick Horne v. Carnival Corp., Karen Grant v. Carnival Corp., Guyton v. Carnival Corp., Ciara Lewis-Worsham v. Carnival Corp., Donna Cota v. Carnival Corp., Daneen Williams v. Carnival Corp., Jennifer Cook v. Carnival Corp., Thomas Anthony v. Carnival Corp., and Bridget Vaught v. Carnival Corp. This extensive list of prior litigation is presented as evidence that the cruise line corporate office was fully aware that the synthetic flooring material becomes dangerously slick when wet and fails to provide adequate traction, yet continued to use it without proper anti-skid treatments or warnings.

Cruise Line Facing Claims of Defective Floor Material Selection, Negligent Crew Training, and Inadequate Drainage Near Pool Stations

Beyond a simple failure to clean a temporary spill, the complaint focuses heavily on systemic negligence regarding the ship’s design, material selection, and crew training. The plaintiff argues that Carnival knowingly created a hazard by utilizing a smooth, high-gloss polyresin product in high-traffic common areas that are perpetually exposed to pool water, outdoor showers, ocean spray, rain, and tracking from wet swimsuits. Photographic evidence included in the filing indicates that the material is prone to delamination, water retention beneath the surface, peeling, and blistering. Furthermore, internal corporate documents and safety training programs from Carnival explicitly list open decks and lido dining areas as the locations with the absolute highest potential for slips and falls. Despite these internal designations and strict company policies requiring crew to immediately mark and dry standing liquid, the employees stationed at the towel hut allegedly failed to monitor the surface, clear the accumulated water, or erect visible safety cones.

Emergency Surgery in the Dominican Republic and Permanent Impairment Lead to Major Damage Claims Against Cruise Line

The medical consequences detailed in the maritime complaint are severe and permanent. Following x-rays in the shipboard medical center, the child was medically disembarked at Amber Cove, Dominican Republic, and rushed via land ambulance to a local hospital in Puerto Plata. She underwent an emergency open reduction and internal fixation surgery under general anesthesia, where surgeons stabilized her displaced femoral head using cannulated screws and washers. After being stranded for several days following hospital discharge, she had to be transported back to Miami via another Carnival vessel while restricted to a wheelchair. Months of subsequent bed rest in Georgia led to painful pressure ulcers and scarring, and recent evaluations at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta indicate that she has developed chondrolysis, hip stiffness, a permanent structural deformity, a compensatory knee injury, and a highly visible circumduction limp. Because of her young age, a total hip replacement is not yet medically indicated, forcing her to live with strict prohibitions against running, jumping, or any high-impact childhood activities. The lawsuit seeks extensive economic and non-economic damages for past and future medical bills, permanent physical handicap, emotional distress, and the lost value of the family vacation.

Contact a Cruise Line Boarding and Lido Deck Accident Attorney to Discuss Your Legal Rights After a Severe Vessel Injury

Passengers who experience severe slip and fall injuries while traveling on commercial cruise ships have distinct legal protections under general maritime law. Cruise companies owe their fare-paying guests a non-delegable duty to maintain safe common areas, select slip-resistant flooring materials, and provide adequate warnings about concealed surface hazards. If you or a family member suffered a severe injury due to wet deck surfaces, poor drainage, or negligent maintenance during a cruise vacation, you should consult an experienced maritime injury lawyer immediately to understand the specific filing deadlines and forum requirements governing cruise ticket contracts.

Contact us now to speak with a cruise ship slip and fall attorney.

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.