The Coast Guard was again called to medevace a passenger from a Carnival cruise ship. Herman Steidel Lebron from Puerto Rico sustained an internal injury while aboard the Victory. It is unknown how the passenger was hurt. The decision was made on December to medically evacuate the passenger to Key West after a consultation between the cruise ship and the flight surgeon. The 88-year-old passenger was safely hoisted onto a MH-60 helicopter and transported to the Lower Keys Medical Center for further treatment.
A 34-year-old passenger was medically evacuated form the Carnival Miracle cruise ship after she began experiencing internal bleeding. The cruise ship requested assistance late in the night on December 6th while the liner was off the California coast. A MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew was dispatched from Coast Guard Sector San Diego and transported the passenger to an area for further treatment. The woman’s condition is currently unknown.
There are reports that a United Kingdom passenger died aboard the cruise ship Thomson Dream while sailing to the Caribbean island of Tortola. A Police Information Officer stated that, David James Hughes, 59, was complaining of difficulty breathing and was pronounced dead by the ship’s doctor at 9:18 a.m. on November 30th after being treated overnight. The cause of the death is currently unknown. The case is being treated as a sudden death.
Sad news is coming from Pinellas County, Florida. The law enforcement division of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported Stephen Chadwick of Tarpon Springs died early Monday when the 10 foot aluminum jon boat sank in the Gulf of Mexico. Investigators said Chadwick and Joseph Citro of Indianapolis were heading to meet friends at the nearby spoil islands on Sunday afternoon when their boat sank less than an hour into the trip.
Millions of cruise passengers visit the Bahamas each year on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, NCL, Carnival, Disney, Holland America and Princess’ ships. Though becoming sick or injured is the last thing on travelers’ minds, it does occur with some regularity. This law firm has represented and currently represents many people who were hurt on cruises to the Bahamas. The average traveler is also unaware medical care is limited in the Bahamas and many hospitals are not equipped to handle surgeries. This means if there is a serious emergency the passenger would have to be medically evacuated to the United States by airplane. To complicate the problem, it is the practice of Bahamian hospitals and air ambulances to require upfront payment or a letter from an insurance company guaranteeing payment before they will provide treatment. Depending upon the type of injury, medical bills could reach over $100,000. Many of these injured passengers are unaware their insurance plans do not cover overseas accidents. As a consequence, they are responsible for their medical bills. This has become such a common issue that the United States Embassy in the Bahamas recommends cruise passengers inquire if their insurance covers emergency care outside the United States, and if it does not, the State Department recommends purchasing travel insurance before leaving the country.
