When most people hear that a passenger was medevaced from a cruise ship, their first thought is a helicopter, but many of the medical evacuations are conducted by sea. The goal is of course getting the patient to shoreside medical assistance as soon as possible. Often, all tings considered, a Coast Guard vessel other than a helicopter can make that happen sooner.
In this case, a 92-year-old man was medevaced from Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas Saturday afternoon (June 12). The Coast Guard says they were contacted by Grandeur at 5:07pm when the ship was still in Chesapeake Bay near Sewells Point. The 92 year-old-man had fallen and broken his hip and needed transport to a shoreside medical facility.
A 45-foot rescue boat was dispatched from the nearby Coast Guard Station Little Creek, and the man was taken to a hospital in Virgina Beach. He is reported to be in good condition.
