Accident on Noordam

[wwb]

I was on the Noordam this week and I heard from a good source that the woman was not terribly healthy to begin with (perhaps this contributed or caused the problem) and she fell down the steps.

We also heard that she was in a coma/brain dead when they evacuated her from the ship.

We were diverted to Cape Hatteras to meet the Coast Guard where they sent 2 helicopters....one for her and one for the family. Missed our port in Tortola.

Hope this answers some questions and is as close to accurate as possible.

wwb

[smgapp]

I just returned today from the 3/31 Noordam cruise. Unfortunately there was an accident on our ship on April 1 . It happened while we were at sea - a lady fell down the stairs. Sadly enough she later died. The captain announced that since we were so far off shore (and not due to dock at our first port for two more days) he had to turn the ship around and cruise closer into land so that a helicopter could meet the ship. The first helicopter had mechanical problems so a second one was sent out and the helicopter dropped a basket around 6 pm and evacuated the lady and the ship's doctor. They took her to the nearest hospital which was in North Carolina. My brother in law is a doctor and he visited the ship hospital and they confirmed that she did die- possibly from internal head bleeding but that is not confirmed ( we think she died after they did the medivac) Because of the accident, we were off schedule and had to skip our first call at Tortola on April. 3.

[sulu1129]

Hi All, Just got off the Noordam today. The woman had a brain anorism(sp)

and fell as a result. She was medivacced from the ship and died later at the hospital as a result of the issue. The manager of guest relations confirmed for us what happened. It was not an accident related death, rather a medical condition that caused the fall. The crew handled it well and did all they could. The coast guard near Cape Hatteras did an excellant job. It was very sad to hear she did not make it.

[DH88]

We also just got off this ship and heard the aneurysm story. However, some of the couple's friends told us she did fall and her glasses broke and cut an artery. Her husband was unable to travel with her and did not get off until St. Thomas.

[bepsf]

Brian..... Are you thinking of glass?

 

Yes, I am indeed...

:(

[bepsf]

You ARE morbid, aren't you, my dear? I picture you with a candle stick at the top of the stairs saying "Need more light, deary??":rolleyes:

 

SD--

 

LOL - I'm not quite that bad...

;)

 

...It's simply that Noordam's two absolutely stunning atrium staircases are made almost entirely of glass. *Apparently on the Inaugural, someone took a spill on them while we were at sea - so ever since, the staircases have been roped-off unless the ship is in port.

 

I'm relieved that they didn't claim another victim, although I fear that come the first drydock those beautiful glass treads will be ripped out and replaced with something more mundane, yet 'safer'.

[Canne12]

The fall was witnessed by fellow passengers (a nurse and EMT were on the scene quite early and tried their best). Her eyeglasses caused the injury that took her life.

 

On the ship, the story took on a life of its own- many versions (and the glass stairs were incorrectly mentioned as a cause)

[Sunshine91]

How sad for that poor woman. I guess her husband couldn't disembark until STT, since Tortola was missed. At least it was a US port - the ship should have been able to find him a decent flight.

 

I am always shocked & amazed at the amount of personal, private medical information that floats around. One pax reports that her BIL, a physican, visits the infirmary & is told what happens? :confused: And then he tells others?! :eek:

 

While yes I'm very curious, the medical condition of anyone else is really none of my business. I mean, falling down the stairs, yes, that's a safety issue & perhaps should be public. But anything else, whether it be a stroke, broken hip, heart attack, etc, unless it is contagious, is private. If that poor woman were my grandmother, would I want all this speculation about her condition & the sequence of events gossiped about? No.

 

As for Mr. Burger - I found myself curious enough to do a little more research. Mostly because the date of his death last year was the same as Noordam's inaugural & he was NOT on that ship. He was on Zuiderdam.

[wwb]

I do agree that medical information should be private, but when you alter the lives of 2200 passengers on the ship. some info is warranted.

We were diverted, missed a port, and had to see the helicopter evacuation.

I think that that should entitle us to at least an update on her well-being.

Unfortunately, the outcome was not a pleasant one.

wwb

[smgapp]

I am the poster who said my brother in law visited the infirmary on board. I should have mentioned that he went there on the last day of the cruise out of curiosity to see what type of facility they have on board. (he did not go there to find out info about the lady who fell down the stairs- but it did come up in conversation and that is why I reported what we were told). The result of his visit to the infirmary is he was quite impressed with the equipment and technology they have on board the ship. He also was told that the ship doctor has a satellite phone so the doctor can briefly leave the ship at the ports but be constantly on call if an accident occurs. They are prepared for most accidents on board, obviously the accident we had on the Noordam was extreme and necessitated the medivac.

[hammybee]

I do agree that medical information should be private, but when you alter the lives of 2200 passengers on the ship. some info is warranted.

wwb

 

2200 pax were potentially inconvenienced when this woman had her most unfortunate accident, while onboard. I am thinking about half my sails have had medical emergencies, whereby we made unscheduled stops in ports or moved closer to shore for evacuation procedures.

 

I don't consider being inconvenienced to be a life altering event. Being human of course I am curious and want to know as much as the next guy. I do however, appreciate that general protocol exists, to protect the privacy of all pax.

[dznygrl]

We were on this Noordam cruise. We were attending a mixology class at the Atrium bar at the time of the accident, and the EMT's rushed past us towards the aft stairwell. This was early afternoon - perhaps 1:30 pm or so. That night the rumor was that an elderly person had a heart attack. Later the story changed to a woman having a heart attack or stroke and then falling downstairs, then to a woman falling downstairs and being injured by her glasses. I don't know what the true story was (and it really doesn't matter - it's tragic no matter the circumstance), but I can absolutely confirm that it did not happen on the glass staircase. That staircase was roped off for the entire cruise (although that did not stop several children from ducking under the ropes and running up and down those stairs).

[mamaofami]

Just curiious. when HAL cancels a port due to an accident or weather, if you've made tour plans with an independent tour operator and not HAL, do you get a refund? I would guess not. Maybe that's a good reason to book with HAL.:confused:

[smeyer418]

Just curiious. when HAL cancels a port due to an accident or weather, if you've made tour plans with an independent tour operator and not HAL, do you get a refund? I would guess not. Maybe that's a good reason to book with HAL.:confused:

Yopu need to to check with the operator...most will refund the money if the ship doesn't make it but you need tro ask to make sure.

 

To the Poster who complained about the refund amount.The typical amount back is the refund of the Port charges(which they don't have to do by the way) why do you think they should be responsible to give you more.?

[nurseblissful]

they refunded our excursion fees and the port fees. no problem.

[Cruisin Kay D]

Both stories could be right -- a stroke or heart attack could have hit her while she was on the stairs, both of which would cause her to fall & wherever her face hit would cause her glasses to break and perhaps glass cutting her somewhere on face.....

 

One never knows where/when a stroke or heart attack will hit you and most times you will NOT be in bed or on a couch when it hits you.

[CruiseQueen13]

I was on the Noordam for that sailing. The poor woman fell down the stairs outside and had a brain injury. Helicopter had mechanical problems, so ship had to turn around and sail toward Cape Hatteras. She was placed on life support and later passed. Her poor husband was stuck onboard at sea. Since we missed our first port - her husband couldn't get off for 2 more days. Very, very sad. And some complained about missing Tortola - knowing of the situation. A shame.