College graduate lost both legs after propeller accident on alcohol-fuelled Bahamas boat trip: lawsuit

A college graduate had both of her legs violently ripped off by a boat propeller after she drunkenly jumped overboard at the encouragement of the tour boat’s staff, a lawsuit claims.

Hannah Smith, 22, claims she was plied with rum punch cocktails spiked with sedatives by bar staff on a Catamaran Ferry taking her on a day trip to Pearl Island Beach during a Carnival cruise last May.

Smith, who was celebrating graduating summa cum laude from Alabama’s Miles College with a friend, asked the boat staff where the restroom was, and was told, “The ocean is your toilet,” prompting her to jump into the water to relieve herself.

But as she entered the water, the ferry captain started the boat’s engine, causing Smith to be “violently and forcibly grabbed, sucked underwater and brutally slashed,” according to a federal complaint obtained by the Daily Mail.

Her left leg was immediately amputated by the propeller, but she managed to escape using her right leg and because her friend, Brooklyn Pitre, 22, helped pull her up, the suit claims.

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“When [she] was pulled out of the water, her left leg below her knee was almost completely severed from her body except for a sliver of skin, and she had suffered multiple gashes throughout both legs and pelvis area,” the lawsuit said.

“The injuries caused [her] to lose over 60 percent of all her blood — by itself life-threatening.”

Smith was rushed to a hospital in Nassau before being flown to a hospital in Miami in critical condition. She was given 20 units of blood and underwent 25 surgeries, including the amputation of her right leg below the knee, before she was discharged two months later.

The college grad blames the staff on the excursion trip for “grooming” her and her friends and loading them up with complimentary 16-ounce cups of rum punch, according to the lawsuit.

During the booze-filled trip, a bartender poured a potent mixed drink spiked with a sedating substance directly into Smith’s mouth, while another worker on the boat encouraged Smith and her friend to puff on a marijuana joint.

According to her lawsuit, Smith’s blood alcohol level reached 0.447 — four times what is considered legally impaired in Florida.

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Smith is suing the tour group, Pearl Investment Management Group, and boat operator, Sun Cay, for negligence.

Carnival Cruise is also named in the lawsuit, as Smith’s lawyers argue that the cruise line marketed the day trip as a vetted, safe outing for passengers.

A spokesperson for Carnival told Daily Mail: “Our thoughts are with Ms. Smith, and we wish her strength and healing.”

“At Carnival Cruise Line, we continuously strive to keep our guests and crew safe as a priority. Out of respect for ongoing legal proceedings, we are unable to comment further.”

“We remain committed to supporting safety and well-being in all we do.”

The Independent has contacted Carnival for more information.

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