A passenger who said he fell from a new bungee trampoline feature on Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas has filed a lawsuit against the Miami-based cruise line.
Casey Holladay, 25, was trying out the cruise ship's new SkyPad last month when he suddenly fell about 20 feet from the ride, according to WTVJ-Ch. 6.
"I just felt the momentum release from my body that I wasn't being held by anything anymore," he told the NBC station. "When I hit, all I really remember is the hit and the noise and the fear."
On its website, the cruise line describes the attraction as a "bungee trampoline experience." It resembles a big ball with holes carved out. Inside, passengers wear a virtual-reality headset and are strapped to a harness that allows them to bounce up and down and do flips.
Holladay suffered a fractured pelvis from the fall and was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami after the ship returned early from its Bahamas trip, according to his attorney Brett Rivkind.
"He was on a cruise ship having the time of his life and he is a very adventurous outdoor active person," Rivkind told the Sun Sentinel Wednesday. "In a split second he is crashing to the ground."
On March 12, Holladay filed a federal lawsuit seeking $10 million.
"He has got to take it day by day. He cannot bear any weight for the next three months," said Rivkind, adding that his client faces physical therapy and that he's seeing a psychologist for depression.
"His life was turned upside down."
Holladay, who lives in Washington state, is currently staying with his girlfriend in Sarasota.
In a statement, Royal Caribbean spokesman Owen Torres said the company doesn't comment on pending litigation. "We operate all our ships safely, professionally and responsibly," Torres said.
The Mariner of the Seas, which had a $120 million renovation last year, sails out of Miami on three and four-night cruises to the Bahamas.
