Crystal Serenitys Passenger Medevaced off Alaska

Crystal Cruises A man with a leg injury was medevaced from Crystal Serenity, Crystal Cruises ocean ship, on June 27 while the vessel was some 12 miles southwest of Yakutat, Alaska. A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew was sent to assist the cruise ship, which was en route to Sitka at the time. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Juneau command center received a medevac request from the Crystal Serenity crew for a passenger with a fractured femur. Watchstanders requested the launch of the Jayhawk crew after consulting the duty flight surgeon who recommended medevac of the man. The 57-year-old passenger was hoisted and transported to Sitka. Safety is paramount, especially during any response that requires hoisting by helicopter, said Senior Chief Petty Officer Samuel Bass, command duty officer for Sector Juneau. Great communication between the Coast Guard, the Crystal Serenity, EMS and Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium personnel enabled a safe, efficient transfer of the passenger to a higher level of care.