The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) stepped in during a cruise ship medical emergency, as 2 passengers had to be evacuated from a Royal Caribbean ship.
There were 2 separate medical emergencies aboard the same ship. Not once, but twice, and just hours apart.
The U.S. Coast Guard responded to distress calls aboard the Grandeur of the Seas.
The first passenger turned patient, a 60-year old man. He was suffering from respiratory arrest as the ship was traveling through the Chesapeake Bay Friday afternoon.
The following evening, the Grandeur was heading to the Bahamas from Baltimore, when another passenger collapsed.
“We received a phone call from the Grandeur of the Seas, about a man in his 80s who had passed out, was unconscious and was receiving CPR,” said Sara Wallace, head of the Response Department for the USCG.
Both passengers were taken to area hospitals, but there was no impact to Grandeur of the Seas’ itinerary during either of the incidents.
The Coast Guard has seven stations in and around Maryland, with emergency crews ready to go as soon as they get the call.
Wallace coordinates the search and rescue missions. She says her crews trains constantly for life-and-death emergencies.
A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean tells WJZ’s Amy Yensi, its care team is “providing support to the guests’ families, and their thoughts and prayers are with them for a speedy recovery.”
And though the recent scares at sea may just be an eerie coincidence, the USCG is up for the challenge.