Petty Officers 3rd Class Maritza Morgan and Brandywine Hightower, Sector San Juan Health Service personnel, place the arm of an injured boating passenger in splint June 9, 2014, before transferring the man to local Emergency Medical Service personnel at Coast Guard Sector San Juan for transport to a local hospital. The passenger was with six other people transiting aboard a19-foot recreational power boat, when he reportedly injured his wrist after losing his balance and falling on the bow of the boat. (Coast Guard photo by Master Chief Petty Officer Robert Gonzales, Boat Station San Juan Officer in Charge.)
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The crew of a Coast Guard 45-foot Response Boat Medium assisted a passenger of a recreational vessel with a broken wrist Monday, one nautical mile north of Fort San Felipe del Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The injured man was with six other people transiting aboard a19-foot recreational power boat, when he reportedly injured his wrist after losing his balance and falling on the bow of the boat.
A Coast Guard boat crew from Boat Station San Juan, on a training mission with Coast Guard reserve forces, immediately diverted after hearing a radio call for assistance on VHF Channel 16 coming from the boat involved in the incident. Shortly thereafter, the Coast Guard boat crew arrived on scene with the recreational vessel and towed the vessel in a along-side tow to the Sector San Juan pier.
The injured passenger was met by Coast Guard Health Service personnel who provided medical assistance by placing the injured arm of the passenger in a splint before disembarking and being transferred to Emergency Medical Service ambulance personnel for transport to a local hospital, where he would receive further medical care.
“The Coast Guard is always in a position to help others in need of assistance,” said Master Chief Petty Officer Robert Gonzales, Boat Station San Juan Officer in Charge. “Our crews always train to ensure they are always ready for any situation when the need arises.”