Hannah Smith, a recent Miles College graduate, has filed a federal lawsuit after what was supposed to be a carefree shore excursion in the Bahamas ended with the loss of both her legs. The complaint says Smith was pulled into the propeller of a catamaran ferry as passengers were getting off at Pearl Island in Nassau, suffering catastrophic injuries that led to repeated surgeries and amputations. Her suit names Carnival, Pearl Investment Management Group and Sun Cay Ltd., and accuses excursion staff of overserving passengers and giving her a sedating substance before the incident.
According to Brais Law Firm, Smith was first treated in Nassau, then airlifted to Miami’s HCA Florida Kendall Hospital for advanced care, where she underwent dozens of operations. The firm says Smith lost more than 60 percent of her blood, endured more than two dozen surgeries and ultimately required three successive amputations on her right leg that ended in a hip disarticulation. Brais describes her injuries as permanent and says the firm has opened an investigation into the excursion’s safety and Carnival’s oversight.
As detailed in the amended complaint and reported by The Tribune, the suit alleges bar staff poured “liter pours” of rum punch, encouraged marijuana use and that later toxicology tests found a sedating DFSA compound in Smith’s system. The complaint also claims staff told Smith to “use the water” when she asked where the restroom was, and that the ferry’s captain relied on the boat’s engines to hold the vessel in place instead of tying up, a practice the suit labels dangerous…