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A cruise ship guest, 21-year-old James A. Darling, has been arrested and charged with vehicular manslaughter following an ATV accident while visiting Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas. A $40,000 cash bail has been set but at this time, Darling remains in the Bahamas.
The tragic incident occurred on Sunday, October 20, 2024. According to a GoFundMe fundraiser arranged by Darling's family, James and three friends departed on a Carnival cruise on October 19 for a "much-anticipated boys' getaway."
The next day, while the ship was in Nassau, Darling was driving an ATV (though the family's description calls it a UTV) with a friend, James Palmer, as a passenger. The vehicle rolled onto its side and ultimately landed on Palmer's neck, causing his death.
Both ATVs and UTVs are off-road recreational vehicles. The biggest differences between them are that ATVs have bike-like seats, while UTVs have more traditional car-like seats. ATVs do not have seat belts, but UTVs do. Both types of vehicles are able to be rented in Nassau.
According to The Tribune, authorities claim that Darling was driving the vehicle in a "dangerous manner" when the accident occurred. No further details on road conditions, speed, or other factors have been released at this time.
The incident occurred on Arawak Cay Road shortly after 11 a.m. Arawak Cay is located just 1.5 miles from the cruise terminal.
It is not clear whether or not Darling and his friends were on a shore tour purchased through the cruise line. Many cruise lines, including Carnival, do offer ATV and UTV tour experiences at different destinations, but travelers can also arrange such tours independently.
In Nassau, Carnival Cruise Line does not list any ATV tours available on its website, but individual tour offers can vary on different dates.
While Darling's family does say the men were on a Carnival cruise, the exact ship is not named. On October 20, when the incident occurred, two Carnival ships were in Nassau - Carnival Sunrise and Carnival Conquest.
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Carnival Sunrise departed Miami on October 19 for a 5-night Eastern Caribbean sailing visiting Nassau, Amber Cove, and Grand Turk. Carnival Conquest, on the other hand, had also departed Miami but on October 18 for a 3-night Bahamas itinerary only visiting Nassau.
Darling's family is very clear that the men were "less than 24 hours into their trip" when the accident occurred on October 20, making it most likely the men were passengers onboard the 102,239-gross-ton Carnival Sunrise.
Carnival Cruise Line has not issued any statement nor commented on the incident or the resulting legal case.
In addition to the vehicular manslaughter charge, Darling was also charged with possession of dangerous drugs for carrying 9 grams (roughly one-third of an ounce) of marijuana.
It should be noted that Carnival Cruise Line prohibits all passengers from bringing any marijuana or CBD products onto its ships, and in fact, has banned travelers who attempt to bring even medical CBD gummies onboard.
However, there is no way the cruise line can have any control over whether or not travelers purchase such items while in a port of call. At this time, marijuana laws in the Bahamas are still relatively confusing and are constantly evolving, but recreational marijuana remains illegal.
Darling did plead guilty to the drug possession charge and accepted probation for that charge, but the involuntary manslaughter charge will now move to the Supreme Court with a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI). The next move in the case is planned for March 20, 2025.