Maritime Accident News

Grandmother dropped in bungled cruise ship medivac dies

The Daily Mail reported Saturday that the grandmother dropped into the icy Arctic waters during a medivac transfer from a cruise ship has died.

Janet Richardson, 73, passed away Saturday at Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle, England.

Husband George Richardson, 78, was at her side.

She had been clinging to life ever since the botched transfer attempt on March 29.

Richardson became seriously ill and had internal bleeding while on a two week Scandinavian cruise aboard the Ocean Countess, operated by Cruise & Maritime Voyages. She was suffering from low blood pressure and dizziness when the captain decided to medivac her ashore, her husband George told the Associated Press. 

20 miles off of Bodo, Norway, she was placed into a stretcher and lowered approximately 25 feet down to a Norwegian Sea Rescue vessel. Suddenly, both vessels moved apart and she dropped into the water which was reportedly -3 degrees Celsius (26.6 F)

The vessels were not tied together, her husband said, who witnessed the fall in horror.

She had to remain in the ocean so that the rescue boat could move out of the way in order to avoid smashing her between both vessels.

Richardson spent eight minutes treading water in her lifejacket.

She was given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation aboard the rescue boat and spent one week in intensive care in a Norwegian hospital before being transferred to recover in the British facility.

Norwegian police and coast guard are conducting a probe into the incident.

Source: MSNBC

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