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Amazing Medical Evacuation on the Miracle

toledo

By toledo,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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toledo

toledo

Posted
Posted

On Saturday, we were asked to clear the aft Lido deck for an emergency evacuation. I'm guessing we were maybe 300 miles southwest of the Florida Keys. Of course, several hundred of us packed the other decks to watch as a Coast Guard airplane circled for several minutes. Next, a Coast Guard helicopter arrived. They dropped a rope and a man slid down onto the Lido deck. They dropped down a stretcher on a rope. The whole time, the helicopter was hovering just above the deck. They were able to bring up the patient in the stretcher, as well as a companion to accompany the patient. Everyone applauded afterwards.

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ladycaveat

ladycaveat

Posted
Posted
On Saturday, we were asked to clear the aft Lido deck for an emergency evacuation. I'm guessing we were maybe 300 miles southwest of the Florida Keys. Of course, several hundred of us packed the other decks to watch as a Coast Guard airplane circled for several minutes. Next, a Coast Guard helicopter arrived. They dropped a rope and a man slid down onto the Lido deck. They dropped down a stretcher on a rope. The whole time, the helicopter was hovering just above the deck. They were able to bring up the patient in the stretcher, as well as a companion to accompany the patient. Everyone applauded afterwards.

 

My son is a helicopter pilot with the Coast Guard and what these guys and gals do . . . is beyond belief. Mike was at Air Station Miami for four years before he moved to Kodiak, Alaska in June (think he watched "The Guardian" one too many times). He told me about several air lifts he did in the Carribbean from cruise ships. It gave me cold chills but such a sense of secruity to know that the Coast Guard is there for us.

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pe4all

pe4all

Posted
Posted

It was said tongue in cheek, and with the best intentions. Get a life, and a sense of humor. I wished the passenger well! And, fyi, knowing their expenses/interruption of trip/etc. are covered may take a load off their mind, and make for a faster recovery! Knowing there are possible looming expenses they may not be able to afford stinks. Knowing that you have no worries except healing/getting better are priceless.

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BND

BND

Posted
Posted

Our Glory cruise in 06 if we hadn't been told about it we never would have known, so it probably happens a lot more than some think. Our tablemates told us that they were woken up around 2-3 am by a CG chopper hovering outside their cabin (balcony-door open). We were about 8-10 cabins aft of them on the same deck (we were close to mid ship) and we never heard it (our door was shut).

 

And, I think the people involved aren't that concerned with insurance. I wouldn't care less about the money spent on a trip that was interrupted by a major medical problem.

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spartygrad95

spartygrad95

Posted
Posted

On a morbid note.. Does anyone have any information as to the number of bodies a ship can hold?? On my Glory cruise in 2004. They made at least 2 calls for priests. I was up at the crack of dawn on debarkation day, and watched at LEAST 3 stretchers with body bags being removed. I was shocked at first.. but the more I thought about it, the more I figured it cannot be that uncommon? right?

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binkey36

binkey36

Posted
Posted
My son is a helicopter pilot with the Coast Guard and what these guys and gals do . . . is beyond belief. Mike was at Air Station Miami for four years before he moved to Kodiak, Alaska in June (think he watched "The Guardian" one too many times). He told me about several air lifts he did in the Carribbean from cruise ships. It gave me cold chills but such a sense of secruity to know that the Coast Guard is there for us.

 

I have two Coasties! I am so proud of my sons. When I hear stories like this I realize how many unsung heros we have in the Coast Guard! Good job!

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MaryZ

MaryZ

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On a morbid note.. Does anyone have any information as to the number of bodies a ship can hold?? On my Glory cruise in 2004. They made at least 2 calls for priests. I was up at the crack of dawn on debarkation day, and watched at LEAST 3 stretchers with body bags being removed. I was shocked at first.. but the more I thought about it, the more I figured it cannot be that uncommon? right?

 

It's not uncommon. And I believe they have slots for 3 bodies. I'm sure some ships have more. HAL ships probably...lol ;)

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LambKnuckles

LambKnuckles

Posted
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God Bless the evacuee and family... I pray all is well!!

And God Bless the Coast Guard and the Captain for making it all happen smoothly!! I'm sure it isn't as easy as it seems...

I'm just proud and happy to live in a country where such things are done and can be done!!! And thank you to all the families who support these men and women!!!

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marter99

marter99

Posted
Posted

I've been on 3 cruises, and on 2 of those cruises someone was air-lifted off. It is pretty cool to watch, but kindy scary one time when the boat turned rather quickly/sharply and the water in the pool was spilling out, and carts were rolling to the other side - made me feel like I should be standing on the other side of the ship.

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mprucha

mprucha

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I've always heard that they have someone die on 1 out of every 2 cruises but we just hardly know about them unless, like the person up early, you happen to see the bodies being taken off ship.

 

Being a nurse myself, I would think it would be amazing to see a helicopter evac off the ship just because you know the coordination and medical experience these people have to have in order to be successful getting them and then keeping them stable until they are at a hospital.

 

Those working for the coast guard amaze me too. They do incredible things and have to go out in really bad weather when others wouldn't to save others. My mind can't even wrap around what all they have to do on a "normal" work day.

 

Nice pics Sheri!

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cv322

cv322

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We also had an evacuation off the aft Lido deck on one of our Glory cruises...but now I can't remember which one. The patient apparently had a heart attack & needed to be at a land hospital. We were told that the helicopter was coming at 2PM & to clear away at least a half hour before ...and sure enough at 2PM the helicopter was there. I give the Coast Guard pilots & med-evac crew alot of credit.

 

Also, great pictures Sheri...thanks for sharing.

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Caribbreeze

Caribbreeze

Posted
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Now that's something to write home about! Way cool pictures. Never saw a helicopter evacuation before, would love it, as long as I wasn't a part of it, if ya know what I mean.

On our second cruise, our ship was delayed at port for a few hours. The explanation from the CD was that they had to wait for an ambulance to come. Hours? That had us wondering if maybe something other than an illness had occurred and we were waiting for an ME to arrive. But that's one of our favorite hobbies- speculating :) Anyway, that's the first time it ever occurred to us that people actually die on cruises. A small city, go figure. So...cruise insurance? You bet.

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nrdsb4

nrdsb4

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And, I think the people involved aren't that concerned with insurance. I wouldn't care less about the money spent on a trip that was interrupted by a major medical problem.

 

Well, some people would be financially ruined by an expensive air-evacuation. I've had patients arrive by ambulance who were very worried about the money because they are barely making it financially. The cost of a regular ambulance is very high, I can't imagine a helicopter evacuation. When the ship is out of US waters and it's not "free," I would think it would be a very legitimate concern. Obviously survival is the most important thing, but finances are a huge concern to many people and not so easy to ignore.

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