Mississippi Resident Sues Carnival Cruise Line Following Medical Emergency and Abandonment in Belize During Carnival Dream Voyage
Heather Hogrobrooks Harris, a resident of Mississippi, has filed a maritime personal injury lawsuit against Carnival Corporation in the Southern District of Florida. The complaint, filed under Case No. 1:26-cv-20809-DSW, alleges that Carnival acted with gross negligence after Harris suffered a life-threatening medical emergency aboard the Carnival Dream. The lawsuit details a harrowing sequence of events where the plaintiff was allegedly disembarked in a foreign country without her passport, proper medical records, or any assistance for her return to the United States.
Carnival Dream Passenger Suffers Acute Blood Loss and Requires Emergency Transfusion While En Route to Belize
The legal action stems from events that began on April 1, 2024, while the Carnival Dream was traveling toward Belize. According to the complaint, Harris experienced acute blood loss that was so severe it required the immediate transfusion of three units of blood by the shipboard medical staff. While the onboard team managed to stabilize her, they determined that she required hospital-level care that could not be provided on the vessel. Harris alleges that when she inquired about helicopter evacuation, she was informed the cost was beyond her financial means. Consequently, she requested assistance from the cruise line to arrange commercial air transportation if she were required to leave the ship.
Lawsuit Alleges Carnival Abandoned Medically Vulnerable Passenger in Belize Without Passport or Discharge Instructions
The core of the legal dispute involves the manner in which Carnival handled the plaintiff’s disembarkation on April 2, 2024. Harris claims that Carnival employees transported her to a local clinic in Belize but failed to remain with her during the transfer or intake process. Most critically, the lawsuit alleges that Harris was removed from the ship and left in a foreign nation without her passport. Furthermore, she asserts that the cruise line failed to provide her with written discharge instructions, necessary visa documentation, or any coordinated plan for her repatriation to the United States. This lack of oversight allegedly left a medically fragile passenger in a state of extreme vulnerability.
Medical Treatment Halted in Belize After Carnival Fails to Ensure Continuity of Care or Financial Coordination
Upon arrival at the Belizean clinic, the situation reportedly grew more dire. Harris alleges that she was placed on monitoring equipment but was soon told that continued treatment required an immediate payment of approximately $6,000. Because she could not provide the funds on the spot, the clinic staff allegedly removed the monitoring equipment and ceased all medical treatment. Physically weakened from recent blood loss and transfusions, Harris discovered she was alone in a foreign port with no direct contact information for Carnival’s shoreside agents and no legal travel documents. The complaint argues that Carnival, which regularly operates in Belize, failed to utilize its local agents to ensure her safety or continuity of care.
Plaintiff Forced to Navigate Independent Repatriation Before Emergency Hospitalization at MD Anderson Cancer Center
Despite her weakened state, Harris was forced to independently secure the return of her passport and obtain the necessary visa documentation to exit Belize. She eventually arranged her own commercial flights, traveling through Charlotte and Atlanta before finally reaching Houston, Texas, on April 6, 2024. Immediately upon her arrival in Houston, she was admitted to the MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she remained hospitalized for six days to receive the specialized evaluation and treatment that had been interrupted by her abandonment in Belize. The lawsuit highlights the physical hardship and emotional distress caused by this uncoordinated and hazardous travel schedule following a major medical event.
Negligence Claims Target Carnival’s Failure to Provide Medical Records for CHAMPVA Insurance Processing
In addition to the claims regarding her physical abandonment, Harris alleges that Carnival has been negligent in providing her medical and billing records. Following her return, Harris sent a written request for these documents to Carnival’s Miami headquarters in July 2024 to facilitate insurance claims through CHAMPVA. She asserts that the cruise line’s failure to provide complete records has resulted in significant financial exposure and has interfered with her ability to cover emergency medical expenses incurred abroad. The lawsuit seeks damages for medical expenses, travel costs, emotional distress, and financial losses directly related to Carnival’s alleged breach of its duty of care.
Contact a Cruise Ship Medical Negligence Lawyer Today if You Were Abandoned or Improperly Disembarked During a Voyage
Passengers who suffer medical emergencies at sea rely entirely on the cruise line to manage their care and safety with reasonable professionalism. When a cruise line fails to coordinate a safe transition to shoreside facilities or abandons a passenger in a foreign country without proper documentation, they may be held liable under maritime law. If you or a loved one experienced medical negligence or an unsafe disembarkation while traveling with a major cruise line, contact our team of experienced maritime injury lawyers to discuss your case and protect your rights.
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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.
