Chinese woman allegedly drowns in Great Stirrup Cay

Chinese woman allegedly drowns in Great Stirrup Cay

Berry Island Police are investigating the death of a Chinese female, after she allegedly drowned.

Investigators said it was shortly after 11:00 a.m. Thursday, when the woman was discovered floating in waters off Great Stirrup Cay.

Police said the unresponsive woman was removed from the water and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) rendered, although it is unclear who removed her or performed the CPR.

She was transported to the local clinic on Berry Island, according to police, where she was pronounced dead.

Investigations are said to be ongoing.

 

19 comments

We were close by when the female victim was brought into shore. While in the water, the victim appeared to be snorkeling, although she was not moving. It hard to tell anything was wrong. 2 passengers from the cruise ship (Norwegian Sky) noticed she was not moving. When they turned her over her lips were purple. They yelled for help and the lifeguard and several people helped get her to shore where CPR was started and continued for more than 20 minutes until she was moved from the beach. This is a very sad situation and difficult to access. We hope it never happens again and any safety changes are instituted. We are heartbroken for the family. Please update this article with (verified) facts that may help the family and anyone who helped or witnessed and are still processing this tragic event.

I was there to. Kind of put a damper on our vacation. As a nurse for 25 years I am still not used of people dying. God Bless her and may she RIP

Me & My Husband was standing right there it also put a damper on our vacation just to see that they did not have the proper medical equipments.

Me and my wife were at the island when the incident happened. we were deeply affected by the accident. the family of four from China out on vacation, and having a good time. A lot of questions went through our mind. How could an adult in waist or chest high water drowned? Does she know how to swim? was she wearing a life vest provided by the snorkel rental? was she suffer an medical condition when it happen? did the medical staff used a defibrillator? Please post any update information .

Thank God for the Norwegian Sky passengers who initiated CPR. Passengers were outraged on how untrained, unprofessional the medical staff did medical care, delayed patient care and transport. They clearly were not prepare nor did they have the proper equipment to work a cardiac arrest.

I was very upset the Woman that did the CPR worked faster than the medical staff, they acted like they did not know what to do

Our server at dinner that evening said he helped administer CPR. Her mother was on the beach and fainted when she was brought ashore.

First of all our hearts and prayers go out to this family for the painful loss they have suffered. We cant imagine the pain you are going through. May the love of God lift you up in this difficult time. There are no other words I have. I write this below just because I was there and involved in the resuscitation attempt.

I was on this cruise with my family and swimming in the ocean when my son said there were people shouting help on the beach. I quickly swam ashore to where all the people were and saw the lady lying on the stretcher. Someone was already doing CPR and they were getting oxygen set up as I got there. I started to help with cardiac massage. CPR went on for what seemed like to be 20 to 25 minutes during which time, I alternated with others doing CPR. I felt about 5 minutes into my arrival a thready radial pulse. She was not making any effort to breathe on her own. It is hard to keep track of time when something so stressful is happening, but about maybe 20 mins into this there was a lot of blood coming out of her mouth. Only manual suction was available and this was not effective. I remeber seeing alot of blood coming out of her mouth and it was splattering everywhere due to ineffective suction. We also placed the defibrillator pad on her and when the rhythm was assessed it said not shock-able. We continued CPR. Epi was given once to my knowledge, maybe twice but i did note IV access was gained and epinephrine was given once for sure. I was very busy doing cardiac massage. She looked pale and white from the minute I arrived to shore and color stayed same throughout. I was unable to get a pulse ox recording. CPR must have continued for at least 25 mins in my opinion. Then they said they were taking her to the ship or the hospital, I cannot remember which one. We lifted the stretcher onto the back of the buggy and they drove off. One of the lifeguard teams got onto the buggy with her and continued cardiac massage. At one point someone shouted out there is an anesthesiologist here and he came forward. They did not have an endotracheal tube but they had an LMA., this was inserted by someone. At some point in the resuscitaiton after IV was placed and after Epi was given glucose was checked and I heard someone say it was 350 or so.

When she left I was not totally sure but I felt with the length of CPR, she was probably not going to make it. We all tried very hard given the circumstances to save her life. Everything we could have done we did. I am so sorry for this lovely lady and her family and all they suffered. You don’t go onto a cruise ship thinking you will never come off. The area only had 2 life guards that I could see. One on the shore and one I noticed sitting high up on a cliff. There is a large stretch of water in between and there is no way both lifeguards can track everyone in the water.

This is so hard . The last thing you expect on vacation is to see something like this. It is hard so hard for the family. But after it was over there were kids crying on the beach, everyone was shocked. Life is so precious and it can be taken away when you least expect it. We returned to the ship after this and I wish the ship would have had some kind of counselling or ability for all who wanted to , to attend and atleast have a way to grieve and express grief. That is very important. I know they want to protect the privacy of the family and I respect that but given that it was so raw and in front of everyone and people were clearly shocked including us the people doing CPR, we need to be given a place to cry and grieve, even if we did not know here. She was a human being, a young human being and potentially could have been saved. But we may never know what happened.

Lessons that need to be learned
1) more lifeguards
2)do not allow such a large area to swim in
3) do not allow people to swim alone, children always need to be with an adult and an adult needs to be with someone else.
if you cant do this please make a smaller area to swim in or put more lifeguards,some in the water too.
4)please make changes on your ship, so when this kind of tragedy happens you allow people to grieve and talk. you have a large area on the ship, you can find one area where people can come together to pray and just grieve together.

I am again so sorry for the loss. It has been a heartbreaking few days. I pray God puts his arms around this family. I console myself by telling myself she is now in heaven in God’s embrace.

Thank God for the Norwegian Sky passengers who initiated CPR. Passengers were outraged on how untrained, unprofessional the medical staff did medical care, delayed patient care and transport. They clearly were not prepare nor did they have the proper equipment to work a cardiac arrest.

May she Rest In Peace. My prayers to her family:

Things that can be corrected and observed:

1. More life guards
2. Restrict area for swimming, snorkeling

I am a NYC Paramedic, and alternating on CPR
with a gentleman.

1. Instructing staff on how to do breaths correctly, in order to get adequate chest rise.

2. No bvm or oxygen tank till 6-7 min

3. A faint pulse was felt, lasting less than 30 seconds, prior to AED arrival.

3. It should not have taken 10 minutes for defibrillator. Pads used were small, did not even look like adult pads. When I asked, the answer was “that’s all I have”. As long as I and the other bystander did CPR the AED said “no shock advise”.

4. No monitor was ever placed on Patient. Nurse nor doctor, or paramedic on scene knew what rhythm this patient was in.

5. IV place after 16 minutes. I advise staff she had a left AC. The response yes “I am waiting on needle” they did not have needle in their yellow insert pouch where they had their medications and needles. IV place left AC, first Epi. given at 16 minutes.

6. When I asked why patient was not intubated, the answer was “we don’t have ETT”. LMA was used. Copious amounts of blood coming from mouth and tube, someone retrieved the Norwegian towels to help control the blood. When I question why the tube was not secured, the answer was “we don’t have a tube holder”. My response was then secured it with tape. No one knew how to secure a tube with tape. I asked for tape and secured it. Yet there was an anesthesiologist present and they did not accept the help.

7. Nurse Soltan In green scrubs started doing CPR when I said you are doing Epigastric CPR, her response was “I am an ICU nurse at which point I said then you should know placement of your hands, her response to that was “then you take over CPR” which I gladly did.

8. I kept screaming please check her bgl (sugar), which nurse Soltan did after 17 minutes and it was in the 350’s.

9. Staff holding fluids gave another 2 doses of Epi. When I asked at 25 minutes why no Epi was being given (since it is given every 3 to 5 minutes) her response was “nurse said Epi was on stdby”.

10. It’s a shame when I instructed them on how to roll a patient in order to put a backboard under her.

11. Patient not move to medical cart till 26-27 minutes.

I work cardiac arrest every day. I have pronounced many patients. I start my tours with an 800 (meaning I check my equipment and make sure I have everything that is on our hospitals 800 sheet needed to properly due patient assessment and life support) I love my job. I work hard to make sure my patient care is 100%. That could have been any of us on that beach. Norwegian Sky medical staff was not prepare nor did they have the proper equipment.

My family and I went back to the ship around 3:30. I was upset. I went to the medical office I was brush off until I said I need to talk to someone about the cardiac arrest this morning and the poor patient care given. Then two officers pulled me aside and asked what happened. After explains everything they took a statement. The medical staff was still wearing the same bloody clothes from the cardiac arrest. Security ask if the doctor could be present Dr. Agor, i said yes. When he walked in, I was more angry because this was the same gentleman on the beach that was given direction by all medical bystanders that morning. He sat in front of me and said “I understand you are upset” “I spoke to my staff about everything that went wrong and we could do better” “you can go to your room and know I spoke to them”. I asked him if he was even board certified. I even offered to have my co-worker on board who stayed behind that morning and come down and give them all an AHA refresher, as she is an instructor. He answered “No”.

And right after that I was asked if I and my family would like to have dinner in any of their restaurants. The answer to that was “NO”, I did what I did for that patient and her family, no one should loose their life on vacation, that mother lost her daughter”. “She was pulseless and apneic” when they pulled her out of the water, but you and your medical staff were unprepared and negligent.”

Everyone on that beach that morning needs to write a letter to Norwegian.

To the Security personal that helped the mother onto a wheelchair at stayed with her to consol, thank you.

To everyone who help with CPR thank you.

To the bystanders that found and pulled her out thank you.

To the lady who asked everyone in the crowd to hold hands in a circle and pray thank you.

Norwegian Sky could have had a briefing for all those on the island that morning and witnessed what happened. Some advise, counseling. I do this everyday. I have my ways of coping. Just like nurses and doctors do. But there were many non medical personnel there, and this was there vacation and go home remembering this incident.

To the Norwegian Sky medical team you all need to be retrained and check your equipment on a daily basis.

As a mother of a 15 year old and a wife of 22 years, if that would have been one of my family members, you would be unemployed….. I won’t even say more, cause I’m sure you all can finish my thoughts.

I remember I hard you worked with the young woman, everything you said is correct. Me & You spoke later. When I got home I sent a letter to Guest relations and they sent a letter back with some sorry behind excuses to brush me off.

The Ship’s onshore staff did not timely respond. The drowning was precipitated by renting a snorkel, which requires some minor skills (blowing out water when it comes through snorkel), Clearly no instruction was offered. She was in water less than waist deep.

The incident affected almost all the witnesses and participants on the cruise.

Richard Burton

Agreed 100% . You had theee off duty, medically trained, firefighters in the crowd who had experience in such matters and where told their assistance wasn’t needed, when offered and told that a nurse was present so they where not needed. Obviously the staff have never worked a code since even the most basically trained know that a CA is a many hands operation. I myself being one of the firefighters, saw many discrepancies, same as you described above, in the situation. It’s sad when your passengers are more readily trained and available then the company to which your with and put faith in.

Very sad for all involved and my thoughts and prayers are with the family and the lady. Many many passengers where shaken up and could have used some council. I know I’ll never forget it.

After the patient transported to the clinic (a wooden shack) the mother still on the beach wailing, crying, screaming. I have to tell two staff members “please take her to a more private place”. then they taken her away. Spoken with one other passenger on board that afternoon, she say she saw the family members, and the body cover in sheet transported on to the tender and return to the island before ship departed. I hope they send someone who speak Chinese to accompany the family to their final destinations. They definitely, and surely needed. Shame on you NCL.

I am a professional swimmer but I don’t know how to snorkel and would be very hesitant to snorkel without proper training. it is bordering criminal on the part of the Cruise Line not to have offered basic training. I was there that morning with my wife and two young daughters and this has left a lasting impact on us and the cruise line didn’t even acknowledge the fact that one of the passengers had drowned when my wife inquired later that day.

They did not respond when my husband and I went to talk to them. I wrote in to Guest Relations and they emailed me back with some sorry dum behind excuse that did not make any sense.

I also called NCL to let them know what I witnessed first hand so they had my contact information for their “investigation”. I was disappointed with the lack of concern on Friday (the day after) and asked for a follow-up call. I called back on Tuesday (un-knowingly, the day of an apparent 2nd drowning?) to make suggestions for a “Beginners Area” and “Basic Snorkeling Instructions” so that no one would be alone in the water. Again, I was met with little concern or solution-seeking. NCL’s cold response makes an incredibly sad situation even worse. NCL’s lack of concern and apparent attitude of “sweeping it under the rug” is appalling. This has been traumatic, I can’t imagine the pain the families are going through. My sympathies to all those affected.

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