Maryland Police Department Performs Dramatic Helicopter Evacuation from Cruise Ship
The Maryland State Police Department (MPD) came to the aid of a sick cruise ship passenger on Tuesday, performing a medical evacuation of the victim from the ship and transporting her to a local hospital.
WTOP.com reports that MPD executed the “dramatic” rescue by performing an “aerial hoist operation” in a W-139 helicopter after a 61-year-old woman fell ill aboard the AIDAluna cruise ship Tuesday night.
During the evacuation the ship hovered about 120 feet above the deck of the ship, WTOP reports, as a medic secured the woman to a device that would allow the helicopter to pull both her and her rescuer up to the helicopter.
The maneuver that the rescuers used to evacuate the victim was not easy. The report quotes Maryland State Police Sgt. Stephen Reuter as saying “Having to make a U-turn with a ship of that size isn’t easy.”
After the evacuation, the crew transported the woman to the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. There has been no report as to her medical condition.
AIDAluna is owned by Carnival Cruise Line.
Attorney John H. (Jack) Hickey and his team handle a wide range of cases, including but not limited to cruise ship accidents, admiralty and maritime accident cases, medical malpractice, wrongful death, premises liability, railroad accidents and car accidents. We represent victims from all over the nation, the world and the state of Florida.