Recently, two passengers from two different cruise ships were evacuated after falling ill.

One passenger, aboard the Royal Caribbean ship Explorer of the Seas, showed signs of appendicitis. The vessel was heading back to Port Everglades and was about 130 miles southwest of Key West when the woman began feeling sick. The U.S. Coast Guard evacuated the woman; she was taken to the hospital and treated.

The other passenger, on the Norwegian cruise ship Gem, had to be airlifted after suffering an unknown medical condition. The man was reported by crewmembers to be going into shock, and the Coast Guard airlifted him from the vessel, which was about 75 miles east of Wilmigton, North Carolina. He was taken to the hospital, but there was no further information on his condition.

A sudden illness can turn a leisurely cruise into a nightmare, and few passengers are prepared for an illness striking. Cruise officials must be able to provide emergency medical care when such an incident arises. In cases of severe illness, the cruise operator is responsible for having the passenger evacuated to an on-shore hospital.

The maritime attorneys at Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P. represent passengers and crewmembers who have been injured on a cruise ship.