Newspapers in Brazil are reporting on the recent death of a cruise passenger on a MSC cruise ship.
Mercedes Lessi Raia, age 87, was cruising on the MSC Preziosa cruise ship when she sustained a fall on a set of stairs. The ship was sailing around Europe on Tuesday, November 19, 2013. The accident is described as occurring when she was headed to the restaurant where dinner would be served. As the elevators were full, she decided to go down the stairs where she tripped, fell and struck her head. She sustained a hematoma and began to vomit. 12 hours later she died, on November 20th.
According to newspaper articles, Ms. Raia accomplished a lifelong dream of cruising through Europe with her two daughters. At the time of the accident, the cruise ship was returning to Brazil from Spain. She lived in Londrina in the state of Paraná, Brazil and spent her time divided between the city and the São Paulo coast.
Her son told reporters that this mother was a "very cheerful person, with an impressive vitality, did not look her age and still dreamed of the sea cruise to Europe." She always said she wanted to live to be 100 years old.
Her son commented on the accident and lamented the ship did not have medical facilities for appropriate and urgent care. Her family was critical of the cruise ship’s response, stating that the ship did not attempt to arrange for an emergency medevac operation.
MSC responded to the tragedy by claiming that the fall was caused by a pre-existing illness.
We have seen cruise lines defend themselves in situations like this when they claim that a fall and resulting death were the result of the passenger’s health and not a problem with the cruise ship or inadequate shipboard medical facilities. Even if true, such disclosures by a cruise line violate a passenger’s confidential medical rights.
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Photo Credit: www.jb.com.br