New Jersey Woman Sues Royal Caribbean After Slip and Fall Near Ice Cream Stand Aboard Liberty of the Seas
Tammi Brown, a resident of New Jersey, has filed a maritime personal injury lawsuit against Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. doing business as Royal Caribbean Group in the Southern District of Florida. The lawsuit, filed under Case No. 1:26-cv-23653-DPG, alleges that Brown suffered serious bodily injuries after slipping on an accumulation of liquid while walking past the Sprinkles ice cream stand on May 25, 2025.
Cruise Passenger Injured on Liberty of the Seas Deck 11 Near Sprinkles Ice Cream Station Due to Wet Walkway
According to the complaint, the incident occurred at approximately 9:30 a.m. while the vessel was in navigable waters. Brown was walking cautiously and in a normal manner on Deck 11, heading toward the Windjammer Café for breakfast. Her route took her directly past the Sprinkles ice cream stand, where she encountered a puddle of liquid on the floor and suddenly slipped and fell.
The puddle was located within approximately one to two feet of the ice cream station. At the time of the fall, a Royal Caribbean employee was actively working at the stand, standing just one to two feet away from the liquid hazard. Following the incident, the crew member acknowledged the fall, expressed regret, and shipboard personnel subsequently transported Brown via wheelchair for medical evaluation aboard the vessel.
Brown asserts that the dangerous condition and the extreme slipperiness of the surface were not open or obvious. She had no reason to anticipate the presence of the liquid or appreciate how hazardous the walkway became when wet.
Royal Caribbean Accused of Failing to Maintain Safe Pool Deck Walkways and Ignoring Known Liquid Spill Hazards
The lawsuit alleges that Royal Caribbean had both actual and constructive knowledge of the unsafe walking conditions in this specific high-traffic area. The complaint points out that the Deck 11 walkway adjacent to the pool and ice cream stand routinely experiences recurring and foreseeable liquid accumulations from tracked pool water or leaking ice cream equipment.
To demonstrate that the cruise line was fully aware of this recurring hazard, the plaintiff highlights Royal Caribbean’s customary practice of placing protective anti-slip mats around the Sprinkles ice cream stand. Despite this known safety protocol designed to mitigate slip risks, no mats, wet-floor signs, cones, or warnings were in place at the time of Brown’s accident.
Furthermore, the plaintiff’s legal team references multiple prior slip and fall lawsuits filed in the Southern District of Florida to establish fleet-wide notice of these dangerous wet deck conditions. The complaint cites specific recent cases involving similar slip-and-fall injuries near shipboard ice cream stations, including Izzo v. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. aboard the Freedom of the Seas, Dillman v. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. near a Windjammer Café ice cream station, and Jackson v. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. aboard the Oasis of the Seas. These prior cases serve as evidence that the cruise line knew its pool deck walkways required rigorous monitoring and preventative maintenance but failed to ensure passenger safety in this instance.
Complaint Alleges Dangerous Walkway Material Design and Defective Drainage Features Near Cruise Ship Pool Area
In addition to maintenance failures, the lawsuit targets the structural design and material selection of the cruise ship walkway. Brown alleges that Royal Caribbean participated in and approved the design and construction of the Deck 11 walking surface. The complaint argues that the cruise line chose flooring materials that become unreasonably slick and hazardous when exposed to moisture, failing to provide adequate drainage or slip-resistant treatments to handle the heavy passenger traffic transitioning from the pool area.
The plaintiff asserts that safer, alternative design features were readily available to the cruise line. These alternatives include utilizing marine-grade flooring materials with a significantly higher wet coefficient of friction, applying advanced slip-resistant coatings, or installing specialized recessed drainage systems specifically tailored for high-moisture food-service and pool deck environments.
Plaintiff Seeks Compensation for Lower Back Injuries, Medical Expenses, and Long-Term Physical Disability
Brown brings four distinct counts against Royal Caribbean: negligent maintenance, negligent failure to warn, negligent design, construction, and selection of materials, and vicarious liability for the negligence of its crew members under the doctrine of respondeat superior. The lawsuit claims that as a direct and proximate result of the cruise line’s negligence, Brown sustained severe bodily injuries, specifically targeting her lower back, shoulder, and hip.
The complaint outlines that Brown received initial medical care from the shipboard medical team and has since been forced to undergo continuous, extensive medical treatment on land, including orthopedic specialized care and physical therapy. Doctors have advised her that additional invasive medical procedures will be necessary to address her ongoing conditions. Consequently, the plaintiff is seeking compensatory damages for past and future medical bills, physical impairment, permanent disability, lost income, mental anguish, and a total loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life.
Contact a Cruise Ship Slip and Fall Injury Lawyer Today if You Were Hurt Aboard a Vessel
Cruise ship passengers who suffer severe injuries due to wet decks, hidden liquid spills, or a total lack of warning signs may be entitled to substantial financial compensation under federal general maritime law. Commercial cruise lines owe a strict duty of reasonable care to provide all passengers with a safe environment while traveling aboard their vessels. When cruise lines fail to monitor high-traffic food areas, neglect to place anti-slip matting, or ignore recurring pooling water hazards, they can be held legally accountable for the resulting damages. If you or a loved one experienced a severe slip and fall accident while on a vacation at sea, contact our dedicated team of maritime legal experts to evaluate your case.
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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.
