Video by Petty Officer 1st Class Jon-Paul Rios
A 61-year-old woman was medevacked by an Air Station Sitka crew yesterday (05-30-18), lifted into a helicopter from a cruise ship.
The audio cuts in and out, but the video recording is steady.
Below is the deck of the cruise ship Celebrity Solstice near Noyes Island, west of Craig. Above is an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Sitka. The crew is hoisting an orange litter into the air with a patient inside. She was suffering symptoms of a heart attack.
Sounds from video: Litter is about halfway up. Litter is to the cabin.
On Wednesday, the captain of the Celebrity Solstice reported her condition to the Coast Guard Sector Juneau watchstanders. A flight surgeon for the 17th Coast Guard District recommended a medevac and the crew from Air Station Sitka was sent.
After the hoist, the woman was transported to Ketchikan where a Guardian Flight crew stood by to transport her to higher medical care.
In a statement, co-pilot Lt. Jason Maddux said, “Understanding the severity of the woman’s reported condition, we knew we had to get on scene as soon as possible and complete a safe hoist.”
Weather at the time of the hoist was 5-mph winds with 10 miles of visibility.
