While most passengers were asleep aboard Carnival Imagination last night, the US Coast Guard was flying above it saving the life of an 87-year-old female passenger. Imagination's crew contacted the Coast Guard's watchstanders at San Diego about 12:45am Monday morning reporting the woman had a head injury sustained in a fall and she was experiencing seizures.
The Coast Guard flight surgeon recommended that the patient be medevaced and taken to a hospital for emergency care. A little more than two hours later, a Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter was above the deck of Carnival Imagination hoisting the woman aboard about 58 miles off the California coast. About an hour later she was on shore in an ambulance being taken to a San Diego hospital.
In the video below you can see the rescue swimmer being lowered to the deck, the patient being hoisted and the rescue swimmer coming up. Note how steady the Coast Guard pilot keeps the helicopter positioned over the deck.
This story appeared in the October 24 edition of Cruise News Daily.
