When you go on a cruise, you expect to have a relaxing, fun trip where you make memories that will last a lifetime. You don’t expect those memories to be traumatic ones. Unfortunately, that’s just what happened to passengers on a Carnival cruise ship last month, when they witnessed an upset passenger jump overboard to her death.
Carnival Cruise Passenger Jumps Overboard To Her Death
A search is still ongoing by the U.S. Coastguard for a woman who jumped overboard a Carnival cruise ship on Wednesday, Wednesday, February 16, 2022. The ship, named The Carnival Valor, was 150 miles off the coast of Southwest Pass, Louisiana, when the incident took place. The woman who jumped is described as a 32-year-old African American woman, but the authorities have not released her name. She jumped at approximately 2:30 pm from the tenth deck. (1)
Why Did She Jump?
The authorities don’t know exactly why she decided to jump, however, passengers who witnessed the scene are giving their input. According to eyewitnesses, the woman had some sort of altercation with another man in one of the ship’s hot tubs. Someone called security as a result of this altercation, who then had to remove the woman from the hot tub. They had restrained the woman and put her in handcuffs. Security was attempting to take her into custody, when she got away from them and jumped over the rail. (2)
“Security got her out of the hot tub. Whenever they got to take her into custody, apparently she was upset and went over the rail.” said a fellow passenger.
Some passengers have been posting about their experiences and opinions on the incident. One said that the woman who jumped had been causing problems the entire trip. The trip was a 76-hour journey from Cozumel, Mexico, to New Orleans. This person said they saw the woman throw a water bottle at security and try to attack them.
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The Jump
More details of her fall have been emerging as more passengers continue to speak out about what they heard and saw. When the woman jumped, her hands were still cuffed. Passengers said that she appeared to hit a rail and possibly a lifeboat on the way down. Another passenger said that when she hit the water, she did so face-first. Some say the crew threw her a life preserve, others say that she had grabbed the life preserver before the jump, but it evidently did not help her cause.
The Coast Guard received notice of the jump at around 3 pm. They searched for approximately 14 hours but were unable to locate the woman. They suspended the search but will continue. On deck, Carnival provided support for the woman’s husband who was on the cruise with her and is allegedly providing additional support for him and the rest of the family.
“The decision to suspend a search-and-rescue case is never one we come to lightly,” said Chief Warrant Officer Tricia Eldredge, command duty officer at sector New Orleans. “We offer our deepest sympathies to the family during this difficult time.”
Traumatized Passengers
The scene was undoubtedly disturbing for everyone who witnessed it. Some passengers said they could hear the sound of her hitting the side of the ship and the lifeboat on her way down. Others say that when they looked down in the water, all they could see for a moment was her head floating in the water (she was not decapitated, for clarification). There are some passengers who are now asking Carnival for some kind of compensation for the trauma, either in the form of payment or another cruise. Carnival has not yet made any kind of statement in response to these requests. (3)
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Sources
- “Handcuffed woman, 32, who jumped overboard from Carnival Valor cruise was involved in HOT TUB incident: Passengers describe hearing her smash against side of ship and its lifeboats before hitting water.” Daily Mail. Alastair Talbot. February 17, 2022.
- “Video shows final moments of woman before she fell overboard off Carnival cruise ship.” Independent. Stuti Mishra. February 18, 2022.
- “Passengers Who Witnessed Woman Jump From Ship Reportedly Want Compensation.” Unilad. Shola Lee. February 19, 2022.