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Baby medevaced off cruise ship
A U.S. Coast Guard crew transported a sick baby, her parents, and a cruise ship doctor from the Disney Fantasy cruise ship in San Juan Harbor to an ambulance waiting ashore.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - A baby that had a medical emergency while traveling with her family on a Disney cruise ship was medically evacuated to a hospital in Puerto Rico on Wednesday.
A 45-foot U.S. Coast Guard response boat rendezvoused with the Disney Fantasy, which had pulled into San Juan Harbor, Wednesday evening, authorities said.
The Coast Guard crew then transported the 13-month-old girl, her parents, and a doctor from the cruise ship to the base Sector San Juan, where an ambulance was waiting, authorities said.
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The medics brought the girl to Centro Medico hospital complex in San Juan.
A Coast Guard crew transported a sick baby, her parents, and a cruise ship doctor from the Disney Fantasy cruise ship in San Juan Harbor to an ambulance waiting at Sector San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Dec. 18, 2019. (U.S. Coast Guard)
Petty Officer 2nd Class Carlos Garay, a response boat crew member, praised the coordination between the Coast Guard and the cruise ship personnel.
"We realized this was a time-sensitive case and that we needed to help this child get to a higher level of medical care as soon as possible," Garay said. "Our crew is very glad to have helped this child and her parents. We wish her a prompt recovery."
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The Coast Guard shared a video of the operation that shows the response boat pulling up to the moving cruise ship's side ramp, which is lowered to just above the surface of the water.
The Coast Guard crew pulled off a "smooth approach that led to a rapid and safe medevac" thanks in part to the cruise ship's side-ramp technology, Garay said.
This story was produced from New York City.
Medical personnel load a baby onto an ambulance at Sector San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Dec. 18, 2019. (U.S. Coast Guard)