New York Woman Sues Carnival Cruise Line After Slip and Fall on Wet Lido Deck Aboard Carnival Legend

Surujdai Sukhram, a resident of New York, has filed a maritime personal injury lawsuit against Carnival Corporation in the Southern District of Florida, Miami Division. The lawsuit, filed under Case No. 1:25-cv-25715-FAM, alleges that Sukhram suffered a severe and permanent shoulder fracture requiring surgery after slipping on a wet and unreasonably slippery Lido Deck near the pool and hot tub area aboard the Carnival Legend on September 8, 2024.

Cruise Passenger Injured on Carnival Legend Lido Deck Due to Slippery Surface and Poor Lighting

According to the complaint, the incident occurred while Ms. Sukhram was walking in the Lido Deck pool and hot tub area while the vessel was in navigable waters. She suddenly slipped and fell violently due to an accumulation of pooling liquid combined with an unreasonably slippery walking surface that lacked adequate slip-resistant properties. The dangerous conditions also included water overflow with inadequate drainage, poor lighting for nighttime use, and the absence of any appropriate handrails or grab rails in the immediate area.

The plaintiff asserts that the pooling liquid and dangerous deck conditions were not open or obvious to her prior to her fall, and she had no reasonable means of discovering the full extent of the hazard. The Lido Deck area is open-air and routinely exposed to water from splashing, overspray, deck washing, and spills, conditions the defendant knew would make the flooring material—described as smooth—unreasonably dangerous when wet. Immediately after the fall, Carnival crewmembers arrived and began mopping the area, which the plaintiff cites as confirmation of the presence of liquid on the deck.

Carnival Corporation Had Notice of Recurring Dangerous Slip and Fall Conditions Across Fleet

The lawsuit alleges that Carnival had both actual and constructive notice of the recurring dangerous conditions on the Lido Deck. The plaintiff notes that the Lido Deck pool and hot tub areas on the Carnival Legend and Carnival’s fleet of 29 ships are composed of substantially similar design features and flooring materials. This similarity means the dangerous propensities that caused Ms. Sukhram’s fall also exist on other ships in the fleet.

The complaint points out that Carnival’s actual knowledge is demonstrated by its policy requiring crewmembers to continuously monitor, dry, and place caution cones in wet deck areas, proving the cruise line knew the flooring was not reasonably safe when wet. Furthermore, the complaint references multiple prior passenger reports and substantially similar slip-and-fall incidents documented in the Lido Deck pool and hot tub areas across the fleet, including other Spirit-class vessels. Examples of prior lawsuits cited include Matthews-McGill v. Carnival Corporation, Jeffryes v. Carnival Corporation, Storch v. Carnival Corporation, and Serrani v. Carnival Corporation, among others. These prior incidents provide evidence that the hazardous condition is recurring and of such duration that Carnival should have discovered and remedied it before the plaintiff’s fall.

Lawsuit Alleges Negligent Design and Failure to Retrofit Dangerous Flooring on Carnival Legend

The complaint brings five counts of negligence against Carnival: Negligent Failure to Warn, Negligent Maintenance and Failure to Correct, Negligent Design, General Negligence, and Vicarious Liability.

Regarding negligent design, the plaintiff asserts that Carnival breached its duty by negligently designing, selecting, approving, and/or installing a walking surface in the Lido Deck pool area that possessed an unreasonably low coefficient of friction when wet. The flooring allegedly failed to comply with applicable industry standards for slip resistance in wet areas, lacked adequate non-skid treatments, and was installed without accompanying handrails or appropriate lighting despite the foreseeable risk of passenger falls on the slippery surface. The complaint claims Carnival failed to retrofit or replace the dangerous flooring after receiving notice of multiple substantially similar incidents throughout its fleet.

In the counts for failure to warn and negligent maintenance, the plaintiff alleges Carnival failed to adequately dry or remove accumulated liquid, failed to regularly inspect the area, failed to place sufficient caution signs, and failed to install handrails or grab rails to provide reasonable support on the known slippery surface.

Plaintiff Seeks Damages for Fractured Shoulder, Surgery, and Emotional Distress from Carnival’s Negligence

Ms. Sukhram claims that as a direct result of the fall, she sustained severe and permanent injuries, specifically a fractured shoulder requiring surgical intervention. The resulting damages include physical pain, suffering, disability, disfigurement, mental anguish, emotional distress, and loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life. Additionally, the plaintiff incurred and will continue to incur reasonable and necessary medical expenses. She also seeks damages for the lost benefit of her vacation, cruise, and transportation costs associated with having to disembark in a foreign country to undergo emergency surgery.

Cruise passengers injured on wet, slippery decks near pools or hot tubs, especially those involving poor design, inadequate maintenance, or a lack of warning signs, may be entitled to compensation under maritime law. Cruise lines like Carnival have a legal obligation to ensure that all passenger areas, particularly those foreseeably exposed to water, are designed, maintained, and monitored to prevent foreseeable harm. If you or someone you care about was injured in a similar Lido Deck slip and fall accident, contact our team of experienced maritime injury lawyers today. We are here to help you understand your rights and explore your legal options.

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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.