Coast Guard medevacs man with severed finger from 392-foot tank ship off Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico

Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen MH-65 Dolphin helicopter file photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Eric D. Woodall

Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen MH-65 Dolphin helicopter file photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Eric D. Woodall

San Juan, Puerto Rico – A Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew medevaced a man Wednesday afternoon from the 392-foot Maltese-flagged tank ship Emek-S, approximately 28 nautical miles southwest of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector San Juan received a call from the captain of the Emek-S at 3:08 p.m. stating that a crewmember, who was a Turkish citizen, had lost part of his left hand’s middle finger two hours earlier.

The watchstanders notified the Air Station Borinquen flight surgeon, who recommended medevacing the patient as soon as possible to a local hospital in an attempt to reattach the man’s finger.

Upon the Coast Guard’s helicopter arrival on scene, the crew lowered the aircraft’s rescue swimmer to the Emek-S, who ensured the man was stable and secured to the aircraft rescue litter before he was hoisted to the helicopter.

The Dolphin helicopter crew hoisted the man at 4:42 p.m, and safely transported him to the Isla Grande Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he was received by awaiting Emergency Medical Service personnel and transported to the Centro Medico Hospital for further medical care.

“Because of our continuous training, the vigilance of watchstanders at Sector San Juan, the expertise of the flight surgeon, and the capabilities of the MH-65 aircrew we were able to seamlessly coordinate the successful medical evacuation of the injured crewmember for him to receive the higher level of medical care he required.” said Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Phipps, Sector San Juan Command Center chief.


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