CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A man was medically evacuated from a 435-foot tank ship by a Coast Guard helicopter crew Feb. 2, approximately 50 miles southeast of the Texas-Mexico border.
The Stolt Flamenco crew contacted Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi watchstanders at about 2:30 p.m. and requested a medevac for a Filipino crewmember who was struck by a crane while working on deck and had lost feeling in the lower half of his body.
The watchstanders deployed crews aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter to recover the man and an HU-25 Falcon jet to provide communications cover.
"We train regularly for hoisting such as this, although because of this ship's configuration, we had to hoist from about 110 feet," said Lt. Garrett Barker, the pilot conducting the hoist. "We were thankful to have the 2105 Falcon jet assisting us, who was able to get on scene well in advance to confirm the ship's position and get the crew prepared. We did not have a lot of fuel to spare, so every minute saved really made a difference for us in having enough time to safely conduct our hoists."
The helicopter crew hoisted the man aboard and dropped him off to an awaiting EMS crew at Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport at 6:50 p.m. and was taken to Brownsville Valley Baptist hospital.