Passenger medical evac off labadee

[cindytx3092]

A passenger was taken from labadee on Wednesday, March 12, via helicopter. Does anyone know what medical facility they would have been transferred to? I was just wondering where they would receive medical care from?

[Topo Gigio]

A passenger was taken from labadee on Wednesday, March 12, via helicopter. Does anyone know what medical facility they would have been transferred to? I was just wondering where they would receive medical care from?

 

Most probably Turks & Caicos.

[AtlFamilyof4]

i was on this cruise also and I wonder if it was the same lady we saw on a stretcher face down being wheeled out of On Air the previous day... I hope she (or he) is ok!

[Cruisehappymn]

I hate seeing that and the family all standing around worried sick. Here they're on vacation and something terrible like that happens to them.

Edited March 18, 2014 by Cruisehappymn

[leaveitallbehind]

Just speculating, but Cap-Haitien is a fairly large city about 5 miles away southeast of Labadee. That may be the first place someone might be taken - even short distance via helicopter versus the roads through the mountains. (Port au Prince is also about 85 miles away via helicopter). Though also very possible (and maybe most desirable), Turks and Caicos is about 140 miles away. I guess it might depend on the nature of the medical issue.

Edited March 18, 2014 by leaveitallbehind

[mo&fran]

We saw someone airlifted from Labadee by USCG Dolphin helicopter. The closest USCG air station is in western Puerto Rico, so I would have guessed they would go to San Juan, or somewhere else in PR.

[leaveitallbehind]

We saw someone airlifted from Labadee by USCG Dolphin helicopter. The closest USCG air station is in western Puerto Rico, so I would have guessed they would go to San Juan, or somewhere else in PR.

 

Certainly can't challenge that either - although San Juan is about 450 miles away. (Western PR about 350 - not sure if either is within that aircraft range, however). In any case, Labadee is not a good place for a medical evacuation.

Edited March 18, 2014 by leaveitallbehind

[Ourusualbeach]

i was on this cruise also and I wonder if it was the same lady we saw on a stretcher face down being wheeled out of On Air the previous day... I hope she (or he) is ok!

 

I would think that it was. We were sitting about 6 seats away from the aisle where she fell. I actually wondered at the time if the Captain was going to detour to another port to get her to medical care. What a horrible fall. Hope she is doing OK.

Edited March 18, 2014 by Ourusualbeach

[CRUISEFAN0001]

This just reinforces the wisdom in having insurance on any cruise...a decent policy covers the emergency evacuation cost.

 

Hope the passenger is OK.

[Toddcan]

I watched the fall happen - she went head over heels walking down the stairs in the On the Air studio. It gave everyone that gut-wrenching pit in their stomach. Looked horrible. They removed her on a striker board.

 

I was talking to the Site Manager at Labadee (was dropping off donations for the school in Labadee), and she said that the evac took up a good portion of her day. I didn't feel right asking more questions. But, as we sailed away from Haiti, we say the orange helicopter fly by the ship.

 

We all hope she is fine.

 

I've been to Cap Haitien several times, and unless there is immediate triage that the helicopter attendants could not perform, I would be very surprised if Cap Haitien was even a consideration for treatment.

[Topo Gigio]

Turks & Caicos is MUCH closer than Puerto Rico!

[leaveitallbehind]

I've been to Cap Haitien several times, and unless there is immediate triage that the helicopter attendants could not perform, I would be very surprised if Cap Haitien was even a consideration for treatment.

 

Thanks for the insight. I only knew it was geographically there but nothing of any level of medical care.

[AtlFamilyof4]

I would think that it was. We were sitting about 6 seats away from the aisle where she fell. I actually wondered at the time if the Captain was going to detour to another port to get her to medical care. What a horrible fall. Hope she is doing OK.

 

she had a neck brace on - did she injure her neck badly or i wonder if that was just precaution.

[waterbug123]

Most probably Turks & Caicos.

 

With a population of only 30,000-35,000 though, I have to wonder just how specialized of care one can get in the Turks and Caicos. I would think a much bigger hospital, with more specialized care, would be available in Santo Domingo or Port au Prince.

[Ourusualbeach]

she had a neck brace on - did she injure her neck badly or i wonder if that was a precaution.

 

Not sure if it was a precaution but it was a very bad fall.

 

She was walking down the stairs on the side that is temporary (where you get your ice skates) and those railings move and sway quite a bit. She lost her footing and she went head first down the stairs. Looked like she landed with her head hitting one of the stairs and her ribs landed on the front edge of another stair. Thank goodness there was a staff member right there who sounded the call for help and made sure no one moved her. Must say I was impressed with the response. In under 2 minutes there were 3 three striped officers, the doctor and 2 other medical personell there as well as other crew.

[travelplus]

I watched the fall happen - she went head over heels walking down the stairs in the On the Air studio. It gave everyone that gut-wrenching pit in their stomach. Looked horrible. They removed her on a striker board.

 

I was talking to the Site Manager at Labadee (was dropping off donations for the school in Labadee), and she said that the evac took up a good portion of her day. I didn't feel right asking more questions. But, as we sailed away from Haiti, we say the orange helicopter fly by the ship.

 

We all hope she is fine.

 

I've been to Cap Haitien several times, and unless there is immediate triage that the helicopter attendants could not perform, I would be very surprised if Cap Haitien was even a consideration for treatment.

 

OMG that must have been a terrible fall to have and a scary one to see. Was the On Air studio dark at the time of the fall? How are the stairs designed?

 

Was the woman middle age? I hope she will get tthe best medical care possible and that she recovers in a timely manner.

 

BTW why was she face down on the stretcher? Wouldn't they use a C-Spine and have her laying flat on the stretcher using a Reeves C-Spine?

[norcalemt02]

she had a neck brace on - did she injure her neck badly or i wonder if that was just precaution.

 

as a paramedic if you're involved in a traumatic injury and you tell me you're having neck pain I'd place you with a neck collar as precaution, until a ct/xrays can be done to rule out any injury

[Toddcan]

BTW, the code over the ship system was "Code Alpha" -repeated several times. I guess we now now that means medical emergency.

[BARNET]

BTW, the code over the ship system was "Code Alpha" -repeated several times. I guess we now now that means medical emergency.

 

Yes CODE Alpha is medical and Code Bravo is fire.

Most likely that the helo had flown in from Dom Rep, we where on Explorer 2 years a go and had a medevac from Labadee as well, the Captain informed everyone that the helo was inbound from Santa Domingo and the jetty would be closed off so it could land.

[bigboffs]

During Dec 14 2013 sailing aboard the Independence and docked in Labadee. A helo landed on the pier and evacuated a ship passenger. Later that day a bridge officer told us the person was taken to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Note: Cruise insurance says an evacuation will be to the nearest appropriate medical facility.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

During Dec 14 2013 sailing aboard the Independence and docked in Labadee. A helo landed on the pier and evacuated a ship passenger. Later that day a bridge officer told us the person was taken to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Note: Cruise insurance says an evacuation will be to the nearest appropriate medical facility.

...the key word being highlighted...

[Topo Gigio]

While on the Liberty in Dec 2012, we had a emergency after leaving Labadee. We were on our way to Falmouth, and the captain had to turn back the ship in order to be within reach of the USCG helicopter that was based in GT.(It was more that the helicopter had to fly back on the same tank of fuel) Later the passenger came back here on CC to confirm that indeed she was taken to Turks & Caicos for surgery. The captain said that GT was the closest at the moment.

[CruiseSlacker]

The last two times that I was in Labadee, they used a helicopter from the Dominican Republic.

 

[mspink98]

Those stairs are awful. For anyone (especially ladies) who hasn't walked down them, there's a little lip at the front of each stair. Too small to see, but just the right height to catch even the shortest of heels and send someone end over end. The ones on Mariner caught my sister years ago, but fortunately her spill really only damaged her pride.

 

Labadee would be about my last choice of places to be evaced from. I hope whoever it was will be OK.

[Ambiverol]

The last two times that I was in Labadee, they used a helicopter from the Dominican Republic.

 

Cool pic. That is a great helicopter, but not the best for medevac. Look at the stretcher. The patients toes are next to the pilot! But...it is light enough to land on a ship.