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Peak cruise season has arrived and many families are eager to plan short getaways while the kids are away on summer vacation.
While cruise ships have made great strides in passenger safety, an average of 19 people per year fell overboard between 2009 and 2019, according to a report by the Cruise Lines International Association. Of those who fell overboard, only a small number are saved.
Here is an overview of some recent incidents where passengers fell overboard:
MAN FALLS FROM CRUISE SHIP OFF FLORIDA COAST: ‘LIFE OF THE PARTY’
May 29, 2023
Ronnie Lee Peale Jr., 35, fell overboard from the Carnival Magic cruise ship on May 29, about 186 miles east of Jacksonville, Florida.
Ronnie Lee Peale Jr. (GoFundMe)
A Carnival Cruise Lines spokesperson told Fox News that digital security video shows the man leaning over the railing of his balcony at 4:10 a.m. and falling into the water. Later that afternoon, his companion reported him missing, the spokesman said.
A GoFundMe created by Peale’s fiancee, Jennilyn Blosser, says it was his “first cruise.”
“We went on a cruise to celebrate my birthday and unfortunately he went overboard and has still not recovered. Please keep our family in your prayers and thank you for your support. This was Ronnie’s first cruise and luckily he had a great time and earned he has a lot of friends. He is our social butterfly who was always on the move and loved to make friends with everyone,” Blosser wrote.
COAST GUARD STOPS SEARCH FOR MAN WHO FALLEN OVERBOARD FROM CRUISE SHIP CARNIVAL NEAR FLORIDA
Cruise ship Carnival Magic departs Port Canaveral, Fla. (Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The Coast Guard suspended its search on June 1 after searching more than 5,171 square miles.
“The Seventh Coast Guard District sent multiple search and rescue resources as soon as we became aware of the missing person. Our command center guards provided search patterns to cutter crews and aircrew who actively searched Monday through Wednesday evening,” Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Hooper, Coast Guard District Seven search and rescue missions coordinator, said in a statement.
VIRGIN CRUISE PASSENGER FALLS FROM BALCONY AND LATER DIES
April 2, 2023
A passenger aboard the Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady died on April 2 after falling from a balcony, a company spokesperson said.
“Last night, shortly after departure, there was a medical emergency involving one of our passengers,” the spokesman said. “This passenger went over their balcony to a lower deck and, despite immediate medical attention, died.”
Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady moored at the Liverpool Cruise Terminal (Peter Byrne/PA Images via Getty Images)
After the incident, the ship returned to the port of departure in Miami, Florida.
“We are deeply saddened by this loss of life, and our hearts and thoughts are with this person’s loved ones,” the Virgin Voyages spokesperson said.
COAST GUARD STOPS SEARCH FOR MISSING AUSTRALIAN CRUISE PASSENGER WHO WENT OVERBOARD FROM HAWAII-TARINATED SHIP
April 26, 2023
An Australian passenger aboard Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas went missing after going overboard on April 25.
The U.S. Coast Guard received a missing person report at around 11:03 p.m. on April 25, and the cruise remained in the area where the person had gone overboard to search for two hours before resuming the cruise.
The Coast Guard said the search was conducted 500 miles south of Kailua-Kona, Big Island.
In this March 14, 2020 file photo, a Royal Caribbean International cruise ship is docked at PortMiami in Miami. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
Kevin Cooper, a search and rescue coordinator for the Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu, said the search was suspended on April 27.
“After reviewing all pertinent information of the case and discussing it with the next of kin, the Coast Guard has made the difficult decision to suspend the active search for the passenger aboard the Quantum of the Seas,” Cooper said.
November 23, 2022
According to WWL, James Grimes went overboard from the Carnival Valor cruise ship just one day before Thanksgiving on November 23, 2022.
He was reported missing after leaving a bar to go to the toilet at about 11pm
FOX 8 New Orleans reported that the missing passenger was rescued around 8:25 p.m. on Thanksgiving night after being missing for nearly a day.
It was discovered about 20 miles south of Southwest Pass, a channel south of Louisiana at the mouth of the Mississippi River.
The Coast Guard lifted a passenger from a Carnival cruise ship overboard in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday. (Coast Guard)
US Coast Guard aviation survival technician Richard Hoefle told WWL that Grimes was low on energy when he was found.
“Mr. Grimes had nothing left. He had no energy. He had nothing left to give,” Hoefle said. “My best guess is he had between a minute and 30 seconds before we completely lost him.”
Fox News’s Louis Casiano, Greg Wehner, and Greg Norman contributed to this report.
Adam Sabes is a writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter @asabes10.
