For a woman from Louisiana, her inaugural cruise turned disastrous when she suffered a severe genital injury during a beach outing.
Kirsten Lindsay, aged 28, was critically hurt in a rope swing incident while participating in a shore excursion in Honduras on the third day of a Carnival cruise with her boyfriend, as detailed in a GoFundMe created for her medical costs.
Her partner, Blake Ford, mentioned in the fundraiser that “from what we have witnessed,” the swing had been improperly tagged or set up.
When she swung out, the line suddenly tightened between her legs right before her fall, inflicting severe harm.
Initially, Lindsay thought she merely had a minor injury and attempted to “laugh through the pain” while being taken back to the ship. But soon after, Ford noted that “the swelling got really bad,” and soon the pain became intense.
Eventually, Lindsay found it impossible to walk, requiring a wheelchair to get to her cabin.
Onboard medical staff treated her for hours, but despite their efforts, her condition worsened. The swelling expanded to an alarming size, roughly that of a baseball.
Lindsay’s mother narrated that they spent over 12 hours at the ship’s medical center before realizing the nearest location for proper care was in Costa Rica or Mexico.
As her situation deteriorated, they were given three treatment options: fly to the U.S., travel to Cozumel for self-transport back, or stay on the ship.
According to the fundraiser, Lindsay remained at the medical facility for about 26 hours, during which she racked up a $3,500 bill—not including doctor visits or medication.
Ford stated that throughout this period, her pain escalated dramatically. Medical personnel even told him they were trying to keep her conscious due to the risk of her stopping breathing if she underwent further pain relief.
Recognizing the need for significant medical attention, they opted for airlifting back to the U.S. They were faced with a hefty $20,000 deposit to board the flight, plus another $30,000 upon landing, but had only hours to decide.
Ultimately, they chose air evacuation to ensure Lindsay received proper care. They were transported by ambulance to the nearest airport under challenging weather conditions and boarded a private medical flight to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Lindsay underwent surgery at HCA Florida Aventura Hospital, yet her injuries were severe enough that she couldn’t fly back home and needed to drive to Louisiana instead.
Once back in her home state, she was treated at CHRISTUS Highland Medical Center but returned to the emergency room on July 18 and was readmitted shortly after, as per Ford’s updates. Medical staff expressed disbelief that she had been discharged so quickly from the previous hospital but were now thankful she was receiving care from local doctors.
Ford mentioned that everyone who saw her injury was shocked, noting they’d never encountered something like this before. Efforts are underway to mitigate any long-term damage resulting from the accident.
Lindsay has already undergone a second surgery related to the traumatic injury from the rope swing.
