South Carolina Passenger Sues Carnival Cruise Line After Cabin Bunk Bed Ladder Fall on Carnival Glory
Barbara Leverette, a resident of South Carolina, has filed a maritime personal injury lawsuit against Carnival Corporation in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The lawsuit, filed under Case No. 1:26-cv-26200-RKA, alleges that Leverette sustained severe and permanent injuries after falling from an improperly secured bunk bed ladder inside her stateroom aboard the Carnival Glory on October 25, 2025.
Cruise Passenger Injured Falling from Top Bunk Ladder Due to Improper Stateroom Setup and Missing Safety Slots
According to the complaint, the incident took place during a three-night voyage departing from Port Canaveral, Florida. Leverette occupied the top right bunk of interior Cabin 6325. In the early morning hours, she awoke to use the restroom and attempted to descend the bunk bed ladder while facing it. As she stepped onto the rungs, the ladder suddenly and violently twisted and shifted to one side without warning, causing her feet to slip off the rungs. She fell backward, landing heavily on her buttocks while her left leg slammed violently onto the cabin floor. She immediately experienced acute pain in her buttocks, lower back, and left knee.
The lawsuit asserts that the fall was directly caused by the improper setup of the stateroom by Carnival shipboard crew. The top bunk was designed with designated safety grommets and slots along the side of the bed frame, which are specifically engineered to hold the ladder hooks in place and prevent the ladder from shifting, sliding, or twisting. Rather than utilizing these intended slots, the cabin steward assigned to Cabin 6325 allegedly placed the ladder at the foot of the bed, where no stabilizing grommets existed. This improper configuration left the ladder insecure and prone to sudden displacement. Leverette contends that the dangerous condition of the ladder was not open or obvious, and the cruise line provided no stickers, visual notices, or verbal warnings regarding the improper placement.
Lawsuit Highlights Prior Carnival Bunk Bed Ladder Incidents Establishing Notice of Hazardous Stateroom Conditions
The complaint asserts that Carnival Corporation had both actual and constructive notice of the dangers associated with improperly secured cabin ladders. Leverette points out that Carnival explicitly recognizes this risk in its own fleetwide guest safety videos, which instruct passengers that bunk bed ladders must always remain in their correct designated positions along the bedside rather than at the head or foot of the bed. Furthermore, Carnival addresses bunk bed ladder positioning during shipboard safety meetings and trains crew members regarding the hazards of unfastened ladders.
To demonstrate that the cruise operator was fully aware of the recurring risk, the plaintiff cites eight prior federal maritime lawsuits involving passengers who suffered injuries under substantially similar circumstances across the Carnival fleet. These cited cases include Windham v. Carnival Corporation, Michel v. Carnival Corporation, Richard v. Carnival Corporation, Roquemore v. Carnival Corporation, Hunter v. Carnival Corporation, Lloyd v. Carnival Cruise Line, Gibson v. Carnival Corporation, and Neal v. Carnival Corporation. In each of these past incidents, passengers were injured when cabin ladders twisted, shifted, or detached because they were not properly placed into their designated slots or were hooked onto the foot of the bed. Leverette argues that despite this extensive history of similar stateroom accidents, Carnival failed to enforce its own safety policies or take corrective measures to protect guests.
Negligence Counts Detail Failure to Maintain Safe Staterooms and Failure to Warn of Detached Ladder Risks
Leverette brings three primary causes of action against Carnival Corporation, including vicarious liability for general negligence, negligent failure to maintain, and negligent failure to warn. The lawsuit alleges that Carnival is vicariously liable under the doctrine of respondeat superior for the actions of its cabin steward, who breached the duty of reasonable care by placing the ladder in an unauthorized and hazardous position at the foot of the bed.
The counts for negligent maintenance and failure to warn assert that Carnival breached its non-delegable duty under general maritime law to maintain passenger accommodations in a reasonably safe condition. The complaint details that the improper ladder placement existed for at least twelve hours prior to the fall, providing ample opportunity for inspection and correction. The filing alleges Carnival failed to inspect staterooms for ladder stability, failed to ensure ladders were properly locked into their slots, and failed to warn passengers through verbal guidance or visual signage about the risk of ladder displacement.
Injured Cruise Passenger Seeks Compensation for Continuing Medical Care, Physical Impairment, and Ruined Vacation
As a result of the stateroom fall, Leverette alleges that she sustained serious, permanent, and continuing physical injuries to her back, buttocks, and left knee. The lawsuit details substantial past and future damages, including ongoing medical care expenses, physical impairment, disability, mental anguish, scarring, inconvenience, and the loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life.
Additionally, the lawsuit seeks recovery for the total loss of the value of her cruise vacation and related transportation expenses, arguing that the preventable stateroom hazard completely deprived her of the intended benefits of her trip. Leverette demands a trial by jury to recover all economic and non-economic damages available under federal maritime law and state law, together with court costs and applicable pre-judgment interest.
Contact a Cruise Ship Stateroom Injury Lawyer Today if You Were Hurt by Defective Cabin Equipment
Passengers who suffer injuries due to dangerous stateroom conditions, improperly secured bunk bed ladders, or negligent shipboard maintenance may have grounds to seek financial recovery under federal maritime law. Cruise operators have a strict legal duty to exercise reasonable care under the circumstances to ensure guest cabins and equipment are properly installed, inspected, and maintained. If you or a loved one suffered harm due to defective cruise cabin furniture or unsafe ship conditions, speak with an experienced cruise ship injury attorney today to evaluate 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.
