Coast Guard medevacs man with severed finger from 392-foot tank ship off Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico

News Release

U.S. Coast Guard 7th District Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands Contact: Coast Guard Puerto Rico PA Office Office: 787-729-2381 After Hours: 787-510-7923 7th District Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands online newsroom

Coast Guard medevacs man with severed finger from 392-foot tank ship off Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico 

Coast Guard file photo by PA3 Eric Woodall

Editors' Note: Click on image to download high resolution version.

San Juan, Puerto Rico – A Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen MH-65 helicopter crew medevaced a man Wednesday afternoon from the 392-foot Maltese-flagged tank ship Emek-S, approximately 28 nautical miles southwest of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico.

Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan received a call from the captain of the Emek-S at 3:08 p.m. stating that a crewmember, who was a Turkish citizen, had lost part of his left hand's middle finger two hours earlier.

The watchstanders notified the Air Station Borinquen flight surgeon, who recommended medevacking the patient as soon as possible to a local hospital in an attempt to reattach the man’s finger.

Upon the Coast Guard’s helicopter arrival on scene, the crew lowered the aircraft’s rescue swimmer to the Emek-S, who ensured the man was stable and secured to the aircraft rescue litter before he was hoisted to the helicopter.

The Dolphin helicopter crew hoisted the man at 4:42 p.m, and safely transported him to the Isla Grande Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he was received by awaiting Emergency Medical Service personnel and transported to the Centro Medico Hospital for further medical care.

"Because of our continuous training, the vigilance of watchstanders at Sector San Juan, the expertise of the flight surgeon, and the capabilities of the MH-65 aicrew we were able to seamlessly coordinate the successful medical evacuation of the injured crewmember for him to receive the higher level of medical care he required." said Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Phipps, Sector San Juan Command Center chief.

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