A woman on her first cruise vacation had to be airlifted for emergency medical care after suffering severe intimate injuries during a zip-lining shore excursion.
Kirsten Lindsey, 28, was seriously hurt while using a rope swing on the third day of her Carnival Cruise stop in Honduras.
Disturbing video from the outing shows Lindsey stepping off the platform, but rather than swinging outward as expected, the retrieval line pulled tight between her legs.
After struggling for several moments, Lindsey let go of the rope and dropped into the water below.
At first, Lindsey thought the accident had left her with only a minor scratch. But within hours of returning to the dock, her condition began to deteriorate.
‘The swelling became severe, the pain became unbearable, and she eventually needed a wheelchair just to get back to our cabin,’ her boyfriend, Blake Ford, wrote in a GoFundMe campaign.
Lindsey was brought to the cruise ship’s medical center, where doctors worked for 26 hours to stabilize and treat her. Even with their efforts, the injuries proved too severe for care onboard.
Ford said the 28-year-old was in such extreme pain that she could barely move, while medical workers struggled to keep her conscious because ‘she would stop breathing whenever she drifted off from the pain medication.’
Kirsten Lindsey, 28, was catastrophically injured on a rope swing during a shore excursion in Honduras. She jumped off the platform, but instead of swinging out, the zip line’s retrieval line tightened between her legs
Lindsey was taken to the ship’s medical center, where doctors spent 26 hours treating her. She was barely able to move and doctors were desperately trying to keep her awake because ‘she would stop breathing whenever she drifted off from the pain medication’
The couple evacuated the vessel in Costa Maya, Mexico, and were taken via ambulance to the airport through severe weather.
A private medical jet then flew them to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where Lindsey underwent a series of tests and emergency surgery.
Doctors removed a ‘baseball-sized clot’ during the surgery, Lindsey’s mother, Tara McKinney, revealed on social media.
On Friday, the day after her surgery, the couple embarked on an 18-hour drive back to their hometown of Bossier City, Louisiana.
After they finally made it home, Lindsey had to be readmitted to the emergency room.
‘They were completely shocked she was even discharged from the last hospital so early but now thank god we’re home and with OUR doctors and not the ones Carnival sent us to!’ Ford wrote in a Facebook update on Sunday.
‘Everyone that’s seen the injury has never seen anything like it but they are doing everything they can to prevent permanent damage to her.’
Lindsey faces a long road to recovery and the couple are facing mounting medical bills. The air flight alone cost them $50,000 and they were charged around $3,500 for services provided on the cruise ship.
It was Lindsey’s first ever cruise, and she went on it with her boyfriend Blake Ford
The couple evacuated the Carnival Cruise ship in Costa Maya, Mexico, and were taken via ambulance to the airport through severe weather. A private medical jet then flew them to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where Lindsey underwent a series of tests and emergency surgery
‘The financial impact has been overwhelming. Between emergency transportation, medical expenses, travel, lodging, lost income, and the unexpected costs of getting ourselves and our vehicle back home, the expenses continue to grow,’ Ford wrote.
Lindsey also said that she is grateful for the outpouring of support, prayers and donations that they have already received.
‘Thank you to everyone for all the thoughts & prayers & everyone who has reached out, donated, etc. It’s very much appreciated. I feel so loved,’ she wrote on Facebook.
‘Long road ahead as far as recovery. But I’m so thankful for everyone who has prayed & donated.’
The Daily Mail has approached Carnival Cruise Line for comment.
