A cruise ship passenger is reported to be in critical condition, after becoming ill during her voyage down the Inside Passage this week.
A helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Sitka medevaced the woman from the Ovation of the Seas on Tuesday afternoon (6-25-19).
According to a Coast Guard news release, Sector Juneau received the request for a medevac at about 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday, as the ship cruised in the waters of Frederick Sound, near Kake.
Video: Air Station Sitka hoists ‘critically ill’ cruise passenger
The woman was reported to be experiencing “serious health complications.”
Cruise ship medevacs are almost a matter of routine in Southeast Alaska, but according to the medical corpsman on the flight, this trip required a change of plan.
“When we initially received this call,” said Petty Officer Keith Williams, “we anticipated being able to hoist this woman to the helicopter in a rescue basket.” Williams, however, says that her condition deteriorated by the time the Coast Guard arrived, and he opted to hoist the woman in a rescue litter instead. He says that the crew of the Ovation of the Seas was extremely helpful during the hoist.
Williams says that the woman was alert and responsive en route. She was transferred to awaiting EMS personnel in Sitka, and taken to the Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center, where she was reported to be in critical condition.
The Ovation of the Seas was on its third cruise of Southeast waters of the summer. The 1,138-foot ship had departed Skagway on Monday, bound for Victoria, British Columbia, when the incident occurred.
