The U.S. Coast Guard, acting to save two passengers of the Carnival Pride cruise ship, airlifted them from the ship on Monday.
An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter flew from Elizabeth City to the cruise ship which was roughly nine miles east of Virginia Beach, VA.
According to CBS17.com, “a 69-year-old woman who suffered a heart attack and a man, 56, who suffered a seizure were hoisted from the ship to the helicopter.”
The passengers were taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, VA.
Fortunately, the Coast Guard is well equipped to handle rescue-type operations. While it isn’t always a news-worthy story, Coast Guard airlifts of passengers is relatively common along the East Coast.
When passengers require more medical attention than the medical staff of the cruise ships are trained or equipped to manage — and assuming the vessel is close enough to land to make an airlift possible — the Coast Guard can act as an “ambulance” ferrying passengers to more robust medical facilities.
Read More: Coast Guard Medically Evacuates Two From Cruise Ship Off Virginia Beach Coast
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Waks and Barnett, P.A. | Admiralty and Maritime Law
Waks & Barnett attorneys practice in the areas of personal injury and wrongful death, with a focus on Cruise Ship Injury and Accidents, Admiralty and Maritime cases. For more information, please call our office in Miami — our number is 1-800-905-2891. All initial consultations are free of charge.
Cruise ship accidents are not uncommon, with many leading to personal injury and wrongful death suits filed against the cruise lines. Waks and Barnett, P.A. has successfully handled many of these cases over the past 25 years.