EmersonNZ Posted January 31, 2017 Report Share Posted January 31, 2017 I'm currently on Ovation of the Seas and about 6 hours out of Noumea (New Caledonia) sailing towards Vanuatu. About 10pm the captain informed the ship that it had turned around and was heading back to Noumea to perform an intercept with a rescue helicopter (The first you actually knew something was wrong was when the captain called for rapid response teams to man their stations and for group 3 & 4 to attend to x station). About an hour and a half later (roughly 11pm) the ship met up with the Helicopter who first dropped medical staff on board, circled the ship for about 15 minutes, landed again to pick up the patient and medical personal before heading back to Noumea. Apparently a young boy hit his head rather badly on the Flowrider (stand up so must have been over 14) was unconscious for some time and had suffered server concussion (I imagine they would also be worried about neck and spinal injuries as well). With a serious concussion I imagine the on board medical staff would not want to take any risks and would want him in an ICU asap where they can monitor swelling and any possible bleeding etc (Being an ex paramedic that would certainly be what we would have called for if we were first on scene if that was the symptoms and backstory). Obviously the nature of the injury is 'ships rumor' as only the attending medical team would have all the facts etc The captain kept the ship informed every 30 minutes and after the evacuation was completed thanks his staff and the New Caledonia authorities for a text book. This was obviously a well practiced scenario for the crew and from the outside it seemed the whole situation was handled very well. We have now turned around and on the way to Vanuatu at 21 kts (Captain apologized we'd be late.... I really don't care if we missed the port entirely if it meant the kid got the medical attention he needs... no apology needed at all!) My thoughts are with the teenager and his family and I hope the injury is not serious and after some observation he his fighting fit soon with few lingering concussion symptoms (Which from experience unfortunately can take months to dissipate). DocLC and Katelynnhab 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coneyraven Posted January 31, 2017 Report Share Posted January 31, 2017 Thank you for sharing .... I totally agree with your viewpoint ...... being late or missing a port is a small price to pay for someones health or emergency medical situation .... I too hope he comes out of it unscathed, and, as you eluded, you can't be too careful ..... better to be overly cautious than careless. Enjoy the rest of your cruise, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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