Friday, April 2, 2010

Coast Guard medevacs crew member from Norwegian Star

The US Coast Guard performed a long-range medical evacuation from Norwegian Star today when it was 212 miles south of San Diego.

The 66-year-old man is a crew member aboard the NCL ship and was suffering from severe abdominal pain. A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from San Diego hoisted the man from the deck of the cruise ship while a HC-130 Hercules plane from Air Station Sacramento provided long-range coverage during the operation.

The man was flown to a hospital in La Jolla (CA) where he arrived at approximately 3pm local time on Friday afernoon. Medical care was provided to the man during the flight by the Coast Guard flight surgeon and the aircrew.

The raw video below from the Coast Guard provides a different perspective on medevacs than we normally get just reading about them.