On August 19, 2023, a family boarded a cruise ship departing from the Port of Miami and headed to the onboard water park for an afternoon of fun. Before using the slides, crew members instructed guests to remove their water shoes. Approximately 15 minutes later, our client slipped while walking toward the staircase in the water park area and fractured both the tibia and fibula in her left leg.The negligence was baked into the instructions. Cruise crew members told guests to remove the one piece of footwear that would have provided traction on a wet surface -- and provided no warning signs, no non-slip matting, and no other protective measure in their place. A family member walking to the scene slipped himself before catching his balance.Our client was carried to the lifeguards and then to the ship's medical area. X-rays confirmed the fractures. During a port stop in Aruba, our client was placed in a half cast ahead of the return flight. Upon returning to New York, she was admitted to a children’s hospital, where physicians readjusted the fracture and placed her left leg in a full cast. The case settled for $125,000.
We identified the crew's own instructions as the liability hook. Cruise crew members affirmatively told guests to remove their water shoes -- directly removing the guests' primary protection against slipping on a wet surface -- and provided no alternative safety measure.We preserved the evidence immediately. The family filed an incident report on board, photographed every location where warning signs were absent, and identified the exact location of the fall to security personnel before the ship left port.We navigated complex maritime law. Cruise ship injury cases are governed by federal maritime law, subject to strict notice requirements, short statutes of limitations, and mandatory venue provisions embedded in the cruise ticket.
