A near-drowning incident Saturday on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship has left a 4-year-old boy in critical condition.
The child, on vacation with his parents and sibling, wandered away from his mother on the Oasis of the Seas cruise ship, about an hour after the ship departed Port Everglades. The mother alerted ship authorities and a frantic search began.
The boy was found by a guest underwater in a wave pool. He was pulled from the water and bystanders attempted resuscitation until medical staff arrived and took over CPR.
According to Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue spokesperson Mike Jachles, the child was submerged for approximately five to 10 minutes.
The medical staff took the boy to the infirmary, where his pulse was restored. The ship returned to port Saturday evening and the child, whom authorities identified as Ascanio Azzia of Italy, was taken to a Fort Lauderdale hospital where he was listed in critical condition.
Investigators said foul play was not suspected.
The majority of cruise ships, including Royal Caribbean, don’t provide lifeguards to watch over passengers. A Royal Caribbean spokeswoman said that signs are posted on every vessel that warn passengers to swim at their own risk. However, despite such signs, several children have died or suffered near-drowning experiences on cruise ships in the past few years.
A 4-year-old boy drowned and his 6-year-old brother nearly drowned in February 2014 while on the cruise ship Breakaway, a Norwegian ship on a voyage from New York to the Bahamas.
In an October 2013 incident, a 6-year-old drowned in a pool on the Carnival cruise ship Victory. On a Disney Fantasy cruise ship in March 2013, another 4-year-old boy nearly drowned.
If you’ve gotten sick or been hurt on a cruise, the maritime attorneys at Maintenance and Cure can help. Contact us today for a free consultation.
