Key Aspects:
- A former guest of Mardi Gras is suing Carnival Corporation after breaking her ankle during a shore excursion.
- The guest was riding a dune buggy in allegedly unsafe conditions, which flipped and fell on top of her.
- Her legal team claims that Carnival is negligent in how it advertised the tour and for not properly warning guests of the danger associated with the excursion.
Thanks to a new lawsuit from a former passenger, Carnival Cruise Line has found itself in the hot seat.
Karisha McClinton filed a personal injury lawsuit against Carnival Corporation in the Southern District of Florida on July 3, 2026, following an accident that occurred during a shore excursion last summer.
On July 6, 2025, McClinton and her family visited Amber Cove, Dominican Republic, as part of a sailing onboard the 5,270-guest Mardi Gras.
The lawsuit explains that a dune buggy flipped and broke McClinton’s ankle during the “Waterfalls, Buggies & Monkeys” excursion.
Allegedly, the cruise guest was riding the buggy (with her 6-year-old child in the front seat) through dangerous muddy, rocky terrain when the vehicle flipped and landed on her left ankle. There was no injury to the child mentioned in the lawsuit.
The family claims that tour operators did not provide proper instructions on how to operate the buggies safely, and that there were no safety railings on the route other than a barbed wire fence.
On top of all of this, the lawsuit also claims that McClinton’s buggy had dangerously worn tires and the excursion was not properly supervised, creating the perfect circumstances for McClinton to lose control of the vehicle.
The accident resulted in McClinton’s husband needing to lift the buggy off of his wife, as no excursion staff or safety team members immediately came to offer assistance.
Read Also: Carnival Sued After Passenger Loses Both Legs in Bahamas Shore Excursion Accident
Local doctors wanted to rush the wife and mother into surgery, but she declined treatment and initially opted to receive medical care onboard the cruise ship.
Upon returning home to San Antonio, Texas, the guest learned that her ankle was broken in three places and that she would need surgery to fix it, with multiple screws and plates implanted.
As the excursion was sold and marketed by Carnival as a safe activity, McClinton is now suing the cruise company on grounds of negligence.
Carnival Accused of Negligence
McClinton’s legal team at Aronfeld Trial Lawyers is accusing Carnival of selling and marketing the excursion as safe and vetted, without adequately disclosing that it was operated by an independent tour provider.
The family found and purchased the “Waterfalls, Buggies & Monkeys” excursion while browsing on Carnival’s website, with the activity still for sale as of the time of publication.
Carnival also received part of the profits from selling the tour, which adds to the company’s responsibility for it.
“CARNIVAL created the appearance that it was providing the excursion either directly or through agents of CARNIVAL. MCCLINTON placed trust in CARNIVAL – not some unknown entity she had never heard of before,” the lawsuit stated, in part.
However, Carnival’s “Shore Excursion FAQs” web page does clearly state that most shore excursions are sold by the cruise line as a convenience to guests and that they are operated by independent companies.
“The majority of shore excursions, including any related transportation, are operated by local independent companies and they are solely responsible for their products, excursions, and any related transportation,” Carnival’s website states.
“Carnival is not responsible for any losses, damage, death, injuries, or claims whatsoever arising from, connected with, or related to any activities engaged in by guests while off of Carnival’s ships or tenders in any port of call,” the statement continues.
The cruise line also says that it does its best to source reputable and reliable tour operators, but is ultimately not responsible for monitoring and maintaining the outside companies and the equipment they use during shore excursions.
Did Carnival Know About an Increased Risk?
Another part of the legal argument is that Carnival should have known that the excursion was dangerous and failed to take action or to properly warn guests about the risks of participating.
The complaint attached screenshots of reviews for the tour on Carnival’s own excursion webpage, which include accounts of the buggies breaking down and experiencing gear problems.
But overall, reviews are positive. The experience currently has 4.3 stars out of 5 on Carnival’s website.
Additionally, this also isn’t the first time something like this has happened. In March, Cruise Hive reported that Norwegian Cruise Line was sued after an ATV flipped during a shore excursion.
As of the time of publication, Carnival Corporation has not responded publicly to the lawsuit.
Mardi Gras has continued to operate normally from its homeport, Port Canaveral, and the 180,800-gross ton ship routinely visits Amber Cove during its 7-night Eastern Caribbean itineraries.
