A 22-year-old Tennessee woman who lost both legs in a boat propeller accident has filed a lawsuit against Carnival Cruise Line and the operators of a Bahamas shore excursion, alleging negligence and unsafe practices.

Hannah Smith says the incident occurred on May 12, 2025, during a catamaran day trip to Pearl Island Beach while she was on a graduation cruise aboard _Carnival Sunrise_. According to the complaint filed in U.S. federal court, Smith was on the vessel near the end of the excursion when she needed to use the restroom.

The lawsuit claims that staff provided Smith with large amounts of spiked rum punch and marijuana, then encouraged her to urinate in the water after telling her the engine had been shut off. Smith states she spent roughly 20 seconds in the water holding onto a railing before attempting to reboard. She alleges the vessel’s engine was then engaged in reverse, causing the propeller to pull her under and severely injure her lower body.

Smith was taken to a hospital in Nassau and later transferred to Miami for emergency treatment. Doctors amputated her left leg immediately and later her right leg below the knee following dozens of surgeries, the filing states.

The lawsuit names Carnival Corporation, Pearl Investment Management Group Ltd., and Sun Cay Ltd. as defendants. It alleges Carnival failed to properly vet and monitor the third-party excursion operator, and that the excursion company operated the vessel unsafely by allowing passengers near the water while propulsion systems were active.

Attorneys for Smith argue the cruise line marketed the trip as safe and created an “apparent agency” relationship that makes it liable. Carnival has not yet filed a formal response in court.

Bahamian authorities previously said alcohol may have been a factor, while Smith’s family disputes that claim. The case remains ongoing.