Cruise Ship Lawyers Blog
The Fontainebleau in Miami Beach, which has largely been credited with altering the landscape of luxury hospitality in the area and was once the playground for elites including Elvis Presley, Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra, has recently announced plans to build a water park on the iconic property.
The home of LIV, one of the top nightclubs in the country that has been the stage for some of the most-famous performers in the industry, is seemingly using the planned construction of a water park to beckon to new clientele: families with children. The park will include 11 slides to the hotel’s pool area, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.
In a statement to the newspaper, hotel officials said the move will transform the property into ” … a destination for all-ages, with all-new pools and water features, family attractions and slides, food and beverage offerings, and elevated poolside entertainment.”
The new area will be separate from other pools and plans include a 120-foot waterslide, making it one of “the largest drops in the country,” according to previous reporting. The cost of the renovations and construction have not yet been released but officials say that applications to the Historic Preservation Board for a considerable pool area and rear yard renovation have already been submitted to the city and are under review. The hotel expects to be evaluated by mid-October or November and construction will begin in early 2026 while the hotel and current pool area remain open. The renovation is expected to be finished by 2027.
As a personal injury law firm with decades of experience litigating injury cases involving cruise lines — an industry that sees ships undergoing massive transformations to include thrill-seeking amenities to compete for passengers — Leesfield & Partners understands that accidents can occur even when safety measures are followed, and we have seen firsthand how companies may attempt to limit their responsibility when things go wrong.
Leesfield & Partners
Modern-day cruising means slides teetering off the edge of the ship, go-kart tracks, wave simulators and robotic arm rides suspended hundreds of feet in the air — spectacles designed for the thousands of guests who set sail each year. It is an expectation for today’s cruise passengers and a major draw when choosing which cruise line to book a vacation with. With this expectation is a fierce competition among cruise lines to deliver the most-daring and thrill-seeking experiences and, with that race for excitement, comes an increased risk of injury.
In nearly five decades of personal injury experience, Leesfield & Partners has seen just about every way that passengers and crew can be injured on these ships, and every way in which cruise lines will attempt to shirk liability. Our firm has a proven track record of securing record and landmark verdicts and settlements for injured clients and grieving families, earning it a reputation nationally as one of the top cruise ship injury firms in the country.
As common carriers, cruise ships have a heightened responsibility when it comes to protecting their passengers from injury. This means ensuring that their decks and other common areas of the ship are free from fall and/or trip hazards, keeping proper security on board to address issues that may arise, employing properly trained medical personnel who can treat medical emergencies and illnesses, and ensuring that shore excursions are safe for passengers.
However, Leesfield & Partners attorneys know this is not always the case, and when it isn’t, our skilled trial lawyers are committed to holding the powers at play accountable.
Previous Onboard Injury Cases
Leesfield & Partners previously represented a Canadian woman who was traveling on a cruise ship when she was horrifically raped. The woman was in her cabin alone when a member of the ship’s crew abused his employee status and used a keycard to access the woman’s room where he attacked her.
The firm secured a multi-million-dollar amount for the woman in that case.
The firm recovered $2.5 million for a 9-year-old who collided with an unpadded steel grommet while diving for an out-of-bounds ball as he played on a ship’s basketball court. The child in that case suffered a catastrophic brain injury as a result on the traumatic incident.
Similarly, the firm represented a man, 62, who was injured while playing pickleball aboard his cruise ship. The firm settled the case for $500,000.
The firm obtained a confidential settlement for a family devastated by the tragic loss of their young daughter. In that case, the child was separated from her family aboard a ship when she leaned over a poorly designed cruise ship railing and fell five stories to her death.
Bernardo Pimentel II, a Trial Attorney at the firm, is representing a woman who suffers extreme trauma and emotional turmoil after it was revealed she was one among numerous passengers, including children, whose privacy was violated when a crew member planted hidden cameras in their cabins.
That crew member was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for producing child sex abuse material.
That case is ongoing.
Previous Excursion Cases
Previously, Leesfield & Partners represented the family of mother and daughter who booked a parasailing adventure on their cruise ship. While out on the excursion, and suspended hundreds of feet in the air, a piece of equipment snapped and sent the two falling into the water.
The mother was killed, and her daughter suffered a traumatic brain injury. The cruise ship attempted to distance itself from the excursion operators and claimed that they were an independent contractor, however, Leesfield & Partners attorneys were able to disprove this theory by demonstrating that the ship marketed the excursion and offered tickets for sale on board.
Our attorneys settled the case for $7.25 million.
The firm represented a family whose son, a special needs man, died following a crash on a cruise ship excursion. In that case, the bus careened off a cliff on a cruise-sponsored shore excursion. The son was ejected and died in front of his family.
The firm settled the case for $2,990,000.
A rollover ATV crash on a shore excursion caused serious injuries to multiple passengers. Leesfield & Partners settled the case for over $1.2 million.
Our 68-year-old client sustained severe injuries, including a fractured femur, when thrown off a “banana boat” during a cruise’s water sport excursion. The firm secured a $600,000 settlement in that case.
Ongoing Excursion Cases
Partner Justin B. Shapiro is representing a woman who was injured on a cruise ship excursion. In that case, the woman purchased a jet ski excursion marketed as one for beginners and was severely injured when the tour guide leading the group crashed into her from behind while attempting to pass her on the water.
That case is ongoing.
Mr. Pimentel is handling an ongoing case of a woman who was further injured by crew members after returning to her cruise from shore. The woman tripped and fell on an uneven bridge on shore, seriously injured her left ankle, knee, arm and elbow, leaving her in a great deal of pain. She was able to walk back to the tender boat where she informed the crew she would need to see the ship’s physician.
No action was taken to ensure that medical personnel would be there to meet her when she arrived. She disembarked without assistance and, while walking up the gangway, paused to gather herself while in extreme pain. She told the crew she needed immediate medical attention. The crew, again, failed to provide a wheelchair or another means of transport to the infirmary. While still on the gangway, crew members approached our client and grabbed her arm. She fell to the floor in agony and was finally given a wheelchair and taken to the infirmary.
While there, she was diagnosed with multiple fractures to her hip and shoulder. Hours later, she was transferred to a remote hospital in Brazil and was left to wait a full week with insufficient medical care before she could be transported to a larger city and then to the U.S. for a full hip replacement.
She spent weeks recovering at a hospital in Florida before she was able to return to her home in another state.
