Medevac from Holland America's Veendam

The US Coast Guard received a call from Holland America's Veendam Sunday night at 9:15pm requesting a medevac for an 88-year-old woman who had sustained a head injury in a fall down the stairs. The Coast Guard dispatched an air crew from Air Station Atlantic City, and shortly they were hovering above Veendam's deck for an unusual night operation. (We have seen more and more of these lately, however, dictated by the urgency of the situation, such as in this case.)

In this video, you can see the woman being hoisted from the bow of the ship, and in a nice change from the norm, you can hear a female voice (the rescue swimmer) directing the operation from below.

The woman was transported to a local Atlantic City hospital for treatment. Veendam had just departed New York late Sunday afternoon (May 16, 2010) en route to Bermuda.