Another (non DCL) guest overboard

[ASchwa]

In normal conditions, there's really only three things that can cause someone to "fall overboard"; homicide, suicide or dangerous/reckless behavior. Alcohol or drugs can increase chances of any of these unfortunate incidents but it's not required. Suicide, homicide and avoidable deaths happen on dry land daily without alcohol or drugs being a contributing factor.

I agree these stories can be scary, especially for people who have not cruised before. Even if they don't release what happened to this particular woman, it would be nice if they would include facts about how impossible it is to simply "fall off" a ship without intent or extreme recklessness.

They have reported that it looks like she climbed the railing and fell backwards into the Gulf of Mexico. So stupid.

 

[KalamityJane]

Doesn't Galveston have weird rules regarding drinking and cruise ships until you are further out? They were only 10 hours into the cruise at that point.

 

[jillbean78]

So sad!! I saw that it was a girls trip, and when you factor in 2am falling overboard, I'm sure alcohol played a part. I hope she is found though! I remember a story in recent years about an intoxicated man who fell overboard, and was found the next day.

My husband went to college with that guy. It was in the late 90s. He was peeing off the back of the ship. Washed up in Puerto Rico.

My friend alerted me to the story yesterday asking me how high the railings were. I told her they are high and you'd have to be really doing something in order to go over. I hope they find her. So very sad.

 

[Hundredacre]

I also.saw that she was sitting on a railing and fell backwards.

 

[anticipating]

It's strange that no one was with her, that's kind of an odd position to get in when you are by yourself. It seems like more of a position you'd sit in if someone was taking your photo or if you were having a conversation with someone. I'm not familiar with that ship though, maybe it makes more sense. So tragic though.

 

[MUN]

I wonder if she was trying to kill her self? I wonder if the impact of hitting the water from that high up would do her in?

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

I wonder if she was trying to kill her self? I wonder if the impact of hitting the water from that high up would do her in?

Depends. If she was drunk, her body may have been limp enough that she only got knocked out. If so, then it would just be a matter of time before she drowned.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

Unfortunately if she fell from very high, the impact to the water might due her in or if you hit your head on the way down. If drugs or alcohol were involved, that won't be helpful to keep your wits about you if you need to survive. And I can imagine even surviving the fall, there is probably a lot of panic. Not good. A very, very sad thing to happen.

 

[Mandlz]

It looks like they have suspended the search for her

http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/15/travel/carnival-cruise-missing-passenger/index.html

This says it looked like she was sitting on a railing. Such a shame that a momentary lapse in judgement can result in such tragedy.

 

[Hundredacre]

It's strange that no one was with her, that's kind of an odd position to get in when you are by yourself. It seems like more of a position you'd sit in if someone was taking your photo or if you were having a conversation with someone. I'm not familiar with that ship though, maybe it makes more sense. So tragic though.

It sounds like she might have been sitting on the railing talking to friends because they reported that she fell backwards. You know how at night there are no chairs to sit on on the upper deck because they stack and secure them. I wonder if she was just looking for somewhere to sit snd not thinking about what she was doing.

 

[princessmommyx3]

It sounds like she might have been sitting on the railing talking to friends because they reported that she fell backwards. You know how at night there are no chairs to sit on on the upper deck because they stack and secure them. I wonder if she was just looking for somewhere to sit snd not thinking about what she was doing.

Everything I have read says that her friends didn't notice/report her missing until noon the following day, at which time the ship was searched, she was not found, and thus the videos were reviewed. If this is true, she must have been alone when it happened.

 

[cruisehopeful]

This is so sad. It must have been horrific to watch the video.

 

[MUN]

This is so sad. It must have been horrific to watch the video.

I wonder if the video shows her hitting the water, or just going over the side?

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

When I think of a ship like The Dream I wonder how on earth do people 'fall' off a cruise ship? I mean not like you can slip and then splash...

The Dream has all this screening. I guess not on every deck but you would have to be crazy to climb onto the side to sit wouldn't you?

I just don't get it at all. That poor ladies family :-( olus how scary for her.

 

[kamik86]

In normal conditions, there's really only three things that can cause someone to "fall overboard"; homicide, suicide or dangerous/reckless behavior. Alcohol or drugs can increase chances of any of these unfortunate incidents but it's not required. Suicide, homicide and avoidable deaths happen on dry land daily without alcohol or drugs being a contributing factor.

I agree these stories can be scary, especially for people who have not cruised before. Even if they don't release what happened to this particular woman, it would be nice if they would include facts about how impossible it is to simply "fall off" a ship without intent or extreme recklessness.

This. Every time I hear these I wonder how you fall off a ship. I'm afraid of heights to the point I can't stand at the edge of the second floor balcony at the mall and yet have never felt like there was any chance I could accidently go over the edge of the ship.

 

[Sytrace]

So the timeline is that her friends notified the ship that she was missing, they reviewed the video, did a search and notified CG at around 5 PM. By then she is in the water for 15 hours with no life vest.
I wonder if there was a person she met on board at one of the clubs who was taking her picture as she was sitting on the railing. It would be interesting to know if they can zoom out in the video and see if anyone else is around.
So sad for her family and friends. Especially those travelling with her.

 

[wilkeliza]

When are they going to make it mandatory for all cruise ships to have overboard alert systems? Yes I know most of them are based out of the Bahamas but a country can make a law stating that if you want to dock and pick up passengers you have to meet certain safety requirements. I know a few lines do have them (Disney being one of them) and it seems the fact these systems alert the crew in a quicker time line than say friends noticing someone is missing hours later allows them to have a better chance at finding the overboard individual since time is a critical factor in search and rescue.

 

[Hundredacre]

So the timeline is that her friends notified the ship that she was missing, they reviewed the video, did a search and notified CG at around 5 PM. By then she is in the water for 15 hours with no life vest.
I wonder if there was a person she met on board at one of the clubs who was taking her picture as she was sitting on the railing. It would be interesting to know if they can zoom out in the video and see if anyone else is around.
So sad for her family and friends. Especially those travelling with her.

Wow. Is that the timeline? That's incredible.

 

[Jennifer777]

When are they going to make it mandatory for all cruise ships to have overboard alert systems? Yes I know most of them are based out of the Bahamas but a country can make a law stating that if you want to dock and pick up passengers you have to meet certain safety requirements. I know a few lines do have them (Disney being one of them) and it seems the fact these systems alert the crew in a quicker time line than say friends noticing someone is missing hours later allows them to have a better chance at finding the overboard individual since time is a critical factor in search and rescue.

Rather than trying to make it a law, which will probably result in additional cumbersome regulation/restrictions driving up the cost of cruising, a lawsuit that will inevitably be filed by this woman's family could result in a settlement where Carnival will voluntarily agree to install the system to prevent long gaps between passengers going overboard and the search and rescue from beginning in the future. While no one is to blame for this woman going overboard besides this woman, it is an embarrassment for Carnival that she was in the water 15 HOURS before they called the Coast Guard. An online petition could also put enough pressure on Carnival to make this happen. In the end, it probably wouldn't have made a difference. Searching for someone in the dark open water in the middle of the night after a fall from that high rarely results in a successful rescue but it could increase the chances.

 

[jerseygal]

Very sad story, I read she was a mother of 4 kids. I can't imagine what the family is going through right now.

SO TRAGIC. Thoughts and prayers that she be found and for the DH and 4 children.