If you think that a helicopter medical evacuation from a ship is just as easy as an ambulance ride to the hospital, this video from yesterday’s medical evacuation of a crew member from the Horizon Trader might change your mind. Things can get dicey out there and though Coast Guard helicopter crews are well trained and equipped, a ship to helo transfer is always a risky move. Sometimes leaving really is the best idea depending on the problem, but make sure you mean it when you make that call.
An aircrew aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., medevaced a 47-year-old man from the 780-foot cargo ship Horizon Trader approximately 200 miles east of the Chesapeake Bay, Wednesday, March 6, 2013. The Jayhawk crew arrived on scene at approximately 4:30 p.m., hoisted the man into the aircraft and took him to Sentara Norfolk General hospital. U.S. Coast Guard video by Air Station Elizabeth City.