November 18, 2006 MIAMI, FL – Coast Guard crews in South Florida medically evacuated two passengers suffering from different conditions on two different vessels last night.
Willie May Metcherson, 63, residence unknown, was medically evacuated off the casino boat Horizon Edge, which was about three miles east of Key Biscayne, Fla., by crewmembers from Coast Guard Station Miami Beach, Fla., after the tip of her finger was cut off while on board.
The Coast Guard received the initial notification from the staff of the casino boat at 8:45 p.m. yesterday. The Coast Guard crew was launched and was able to transfer the woman safely off the vessel around 9:20 p.m. Metcherson was brought to the Coast Guard Station and transferred to Emergency Medical Services in stable condition. She was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital.
Jay Kendig, 74, residence unknown, was medically evacuated off the cruise ship, Noordam, about 200 miles north of San Salvador, Bahamas this morning by Coast Guard crewmembers working for Operations Bahamas, Turks and Caicos in Great Inagua, Bahamas and members of Coast Guard Air Station Miami.
The Coast Guard was notified around 10:25 a.m. Friday by the crew of the Noordam requesting medical evacuation for Kendig due to possible internal bleeding. It was determined by medical staff on board the cruise ship that Kendig may need a blood transfusion while still on boad the ship.
Once the blood type was verified by medical staff on the Noordam and family, crewmembers from Air Station Miami were requested to transfer a package of blood to the cruise ship. Florida Blood Bank provided the blood and a Coast Guard Falcon jet was launched around 4 p.m. yesterday. The Falcon crew arrived over the cruise ship off San Salvador around 6:30 p.m., and dropped the secured package fo blood in the vicinity of the ship. A boat crew on the cruise ship were able to lower a vessel and pick up the package of blood from the ocean and provide that to the medical staff on aboard.
A medevac was still requested by the cruise ship staff after the blood transfusion was completed. A helicopter crew in Great Inagua was able to deploy to the cruise ship and hoist Kendig safely at 11:30 p.m. He was then transferred to the Providenciales Airport in the Bahamas were the Falcon jet crew were already waiting.
Kendig was flown from Providenciales to the Coast Guard Air Station in Opa Locka and arrived at 2:30 this morning. Local EMS were standing by to transfer Kendig to Palmetto General Hospital in Hialeah, Fla.
US Coast Guard Press Release
