A Coast Guard rescue helicopter crew medevaced a 32-year-old crewmember off an Italian-flagged tanker Wednesday, after he suffered an injury from a snapped fender wire that struck his chest 38 miles off Galveston, Texas.
At 4:20 p.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston received a distress call from the captain of the 800-foot ship, Giovanni Battista De Carlini, stating that one of his crewmembers suffered an impact injury after the fender wire he was checking snapped and struck his chest. Watchstanders dispatched an Air Station Houston crew aboard a MH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter to respond.
The helicopter crew lowered their rescue swimmer down to the tank ship to assess the man’s condition and prepare him for a hoist. The helicopter crew then hoisted the man aboard the helicopter and transported him to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
"Due to the quick reporting from the captain of the tank ship we were able to launch an aircrew in the fastest manner possible," said Bill Segelken, the command duty officer at Sector Houston-Galveston.
The crewmember is being treated at UTMB and is reported to be in stable condition.
