College grad sues after losing both legs to boat propeller on cruise ship excursion

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC/Gray News) - An Alabama college graduate who lost both legs while on a cruise last year is suing the company that owns the ship and the operators of a Bahamas shore excursion.

Hannah Smith, a graduate of Miles College, has sued Carnival and a shore excursion company after she was pulled into the propeller of a catamaran ferry during a celebratory cruise trip in May 2025. She received injuries that led to her losing both legs.

The incident happened during an excursion while the cruise ship was docked in the Bahamas. In the lawsuit, Smith says she was injured after she went into the water to use the restroom at the direction of excursion staff.

She claims the staff overserved her alcohol and provided marijuana, and she later learned she had a “sedating substance” in her system.

She also alleges the crew didn’t properly tie off the boat and used the engines to hold it in place while passengers got off.

Carnival is asking a judge to dismiss the case, arguing its booking materials say shore excursion operators are independent contractors.