Feb 26, 2009 2:04 pm US/Eastern
JMH Ready For Emergency Accidents In All Places
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
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The bus was carrying Celebrity Summit passengers and returning to the ship in the Dominica after a shore excursion when it crashed into a ditch on Feb. 23, 2009.
Dominica News Online
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Workers help remove the bus wreckage in Dominica.
Dominica News Online
Jackson Memorial Hospital officials explained on Thursday how their working arrangement with the cruise line industry puts them at an advantage to prepare for emergency events such as what happened to injured passengers in the Dominica earlier in the week.
Twelve injured American tourists are recovering from the original fourteen brought in from a bus accident Monday in Roseau, Dominica.
Three are in critical condition (of those three, one is undergoing surgery). There are two in severe condition and seven remain in stable condition.
Hospital officials said at a news conference that when it was notified of the accident, it called up at least 200 employees. It's part of a special arrangement with the cruise line industry to account for such events.
Mauricio Lynn of Jackson Memorial Hospital said, "We knew what was going on, and we knew they were coming in so we prepared."
Gary Bald, senior Vice President of Celebrity Cruises, added, "This has been a horrendous accident. This is one in which the company trains to be prepared for."
According to Celebrity Cruises, 16 passengers were injured when the brakes on their bus gave out; the driver lost control and crashed into a ditch.
All 16 guests onboard the bus were immediately transported to the local Princess Margaret Hospital for care. The passengers' injuries included broken bones, bumps, bruises and lacerations, however, three people were more seriously injured, according to the cruise line
The passengers were returning from a Caribbean Cooking Adventure shore excursion, in which they joined local culinary experts to learn how to prepare and present traditional Caribbean dishes. The three-and-a-half hour excursion concluded with a scenic drive through Roseau before returning to the pier.
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