Cruise ship passenger suffers severe spine injury in violent storm – then died because of bad care at sea

An elderly cruise ship passenger suffered a severe spine injury as the vessel passed through a violent storm – then died because of bad care at sea, an investigation found.

The passenger, 85-year-old Trevor Gilks, died just days after falling off a chair on the Saga’s Spirit of Discovery when the vessel encountered rough seas off the UK coast in late 2023.

Gilks, who was vacationing with his wheelchair-bound wife, was thrown from his chair in the main deck living room when the cruise liner “rolled violently” in the storm, according to a Marine Accident Investigation Board report (MAIB) published Wednesday.

The passenger was quickly helped back into his chair by a nurse before being fitted with a neck collar some four hours later after undergoing an X-ray, the report stated.

A radiologist on shore reviewed the X-rays but wasn’t able to determine if he’d injured his cervical spine, which is located in the neck region, because the images weren’t clear enough.

Days later, Gilks started complaining of tingling in his limbs before losing feeling in his legs altogether.

Despite the on-board doctor determining the elderly passenger had become paralyzed, the ship’s crew opted not to try and helicopter him to shore due to the rough conditions, the report found.

“Given the weather conditions, and having discussed with the doctor the risks of helicopter transfer in high seas, the captain decided that it would be better for [Gilks] to remain on board Spirit of Discovery until the vessel berthed in in Portsmouth that evening, when he could be safely disembarked to hospital,” the report noted.

After eventually being rushed to hospital, doctors diagnosed Gilks with a severe cervical spinal injury that would leave him permanently quadriplegic.

“Delay in identifying that a passenger had suffered a severe spinal injury led to him receiving suboptimal treatment that may have affected the severity of his injury. Four days after the accident, he died in hospital from his spinal injury,” the report found.

Saga Cruises has since apologized for the distress caused to Gilks’ family.

 “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Mr Gilks and all the guests and crew affected by this incident, and we are sorry for the distress they suffered,” a spokesperson said.

“Safety is our number one priority and, whilst the weather is beyond our control, we always follow industry guidelines and best practice.”