A Louisiana woman’s dream cruise vacation turned into a medical nightmare after a shore excursion in Honduras ended with a devastating injury, emergency treatment aboard a Carnival ship, and a $50,000 air evacuation back to the United States.
Kristen Lindsey was reportedly on the third day of her first cruise when she took part in a rope swing excursion during a stop in Honduras. But what was supposed to be a thrilling vacation memory quickly went horribly wrong.
According to her boyfriend, Blake, a retrieval line that should not have been connected to the swing suddenly tightened just before Lindsey dropped, causing what he described as a “catastrophic saddle injury.”
At first, Lindsey apparently did not realize how serious the injury was. She reportedly thought she had only suffered a minor scratch and returned to the Carnival cruise ship.
But within hours, her condition became frightening.
The pain worsened, the swelling intensified, and the injury reportedly grew to the size of a baseball. What had seemed like an uncomfortable mishap had become a serious medical emergency far from home.
Lindsey’s mother, Tara, said her daughter spent more than 12 hours in the ship’s medical bay as her family and boyfriend scrambled to figure out what to do next.
Blake said he called 911 from the ship before Lindsey was rushed to the vessel’s medical center, where she was treated for several hours. Before leaving the ship, the couple reportedly had to pay about $4,000 out of pocket for her onboard medical care.
As Lindsey’s condition continued to deteriorate, the couple was presented with a brutal set of options.
They could keep her in the ship’s medical facility for the rest of the cruise, get treatment at a hospital in Mexico, try to make their own way back to the United States, or arrange an emergency medical evacuation.
The couple chose the air evacuation, believing it was the safest way to get Lindsey the urgent care she needed.
“We chose the air evacuation because we believed it was the best way to get Kirsten the care she needed,” Blake told NewsNation.
The decision came with a staggering price tag.
According to Blake, the emergency flight cost $50,000, including $20,000 to leave Costa Maya and another $30,000 to return to the United States.
After hours of delays, Lindsey was taken by ambulance to the airport and placed on a private medical jet bound for Fort Lauderdale, Florida. From there, she was rushed to HCA Florida Aventura Hospital, where she underwent her first surgery.
The ordeal did not end there.
After returning home to Louisiana, Lindsey continued receiving treatment at CHRISTUS Highland Medical Center. She is now undergoing a second surgery as she continues recovering from the injuries suffered during the excursion.
What began as a long-awaited vacation has left the couple facing a mountain of unexpected expenses, including medical bills, travel costs, lost income, and the complicated process of getting Lindsey safely back home.
Her family has since launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover costs as she continues what is expected to be a long recovery.
