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No one wants to get injured on their cruise vacation, but just how much fault do cruise lines have for injuries sustained onboard their ships, on equipment they’ve installed, when monitored by cruise line employees?

One woman is alleging the Carnival Cruise Line bears responsibility for injuries she received while riding a waterslide on Carnival Sunshine due to the slide not operating properly and the crew members continuing to send guests down the slide.

The woman, Savannah Ward of Virginia, has filed suit against Carnival, according to documents filed on Thursday, February 19, 2026 in the US District Court, Southern District of Florida.

The incident happened on March 20, 2025, while Ward was enjoying a Carnival Sunshine cruise. The 104,000-gross-ton ship was (and still is) homeported from Norfolk, Virginia, and at the time was on the next-to-last full day of a 6-night Bahamas itinerary that had originally set sail on March 16.

According to the lawsuit, Ward “rode on a water slide aboard the vessel that was open to passengers for their enjoyment, and she was injured when she reached the bottom and her feet collided with a wall at the bottom of the slide.”

Ward’s injury happened in the final runout area of the slide. That section of the slide generally has a few inches of water to provide enough friction and water pressure to cushion guests’ plunge and bring them to a safe stop.

The lawsuit alleges that the minimum amount of water was not maintained at the bottom of the slide, yet two Carnival crew members continued to operate the slide and permit guests to ride.

As a result of her collision with the wall at the end of the slide, Ward broke her right foot and sprained her left ankle. This has led to permanent loss of mobility, range of motion, and strength, along with chronic pain.

Was the Cruise Line at Fault?

Any cruise guest who has enjoyed waterslides knows that the finale splashes easily drain water from these runout areas, and water is pulled out of the runouts as guests exit the slide after their splashdown.

Just how much water is removed from the runout area depends on how quickly guests are dispatched down the slide, how big a splash individual guests may make, and how much water is flowing down the slide to keep the area refilled.

It is not known which slide Ward was injured on. Carnival Sunshine has three slides in its WaterWorks park, located aft on Deck 10. The yellow “Twister” slide is an individual ride, while the green and blue “Speedway Splash” slides are designed for guests to race one another on separate but similar slides.

All three are curved style slides rather than vertical drops, but nevertheless, guests can get significant speed while enjoying the slides. All three also have similar runout brake sections at the end.

Carnival Cruise Line’s website notes that height and weight restrictions do apply to WaterWorks, but exact specifications are not listed and may vary on different ships or with different slide styles.

Signage on individual ships would further clarify those restrictions if necessary. It is possible that certain restrictions for the slides may not have been properly enforced, or that conditions in the runout brake were not maintained properly.

Ward’s lawsuit does note that there have been several previous lawsuits against Carnival Cruise Line for similar waterslide injuries. These types of lawsuits are not uncommon and Cruise Hive has previously reported on several, including the incident aboard Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas when waterslide broke dramatically in midair, injuring a guest.

Ward is demanding a jury trial for the incident and is seeking both costs and damages already incurred, as well as future losses and suffering.

Woman Sues Carnival Cruise Line Over Serious Onboard Waterslide Injury

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