Carnival Cruise Passenger Released From Ft. Lauderdale Hospital After Bahamas Bus Crash
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) -A sightseeing tour in the Bahamas took a frightening turn, 32 passengers were onboard a bus when it flew off the road and flipped on its side.
All of the passengers were tourists from the Carnival Cruise ship Ecstasy. Carnival said the accident happened in Eleuthera, pictures from the scene show skid marks from the bus as it sailed off the road.
Twenty-eight passengers were treated at a nearby clinic, four of the most seriously injured were flown by a U.S. military plane to Fort Lauderdale where they were taken to Broward Health Medical Center.
Broward County Fire Rescue reported that their injuries ranged from fractures to the arms and legs to internal injuries and possible paralysis.
Dr. Jose Lozada, a trauma surgeon who is treating those injured, said that all four patients they received are doing better. One patient has been released, two have been upgraded to fair condition and the fourth initially thought to be paralyzed is also showing signs of improvement.
Lozada said that as soon as they got word of what was happening, they jumped into action.
"Once we got reports that the helicopter had landed then we started mobilizing everyone to come in. A team was assigned to each trauma patient coming in and, much like we do in drills, it actually responded splendidly, it really ran perfectly well," he said.
A spokesman with the US Coast Guard said they transported a fifth injured person to Nassau's Doctors Hospital in Nassau.
In a statement, the cruise line said "Carnival's CareTeam is providing support to the guests. The cause of the accident is being investigated. In the meantime, the Cathedral Cove, Ocean Hole, and Rock Sound Island Tour has been suspended."