Saga cruise passenger Trevor Gilks, 85, days after he fell off a chair and suffered a paralysing injury – a report found a delay in indentifying he had a serious spinal injury may have affected its severity
A British Saga cruise passenger suffered a severe spine injury in a violent storm then died due to a lack of care at sea, an investigation found.
Passenger Trevor Gilks, 85, died just days after he fell off a chair on the Saga Spirit of Discovery when the ship travelled the vessel encountered rough seas off the coast of the UK in late 2023. The Spirit of Discovery ship encountered force 11 winds in the Bay of Biscay on November 4, leading to more than 100 injuries among passengers.
Mr Gilks had been on holiday with his wheelchair user wife when he was thrown from his chair when the cruise ship “rolled violently” during a storm.
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Mr Gilks was quickly helped back into his chair by a nurse before he was given a neck collar to wear for four hours until he underwent an X-ray. Investigators also said Mr Gilks was put on a bed in the medical centre, rather than a spinal board which is common practice for spinal injuries or suspected spinal injuries.
A radiologist back at shore examined the X-rays which had been emailed over but wasn’t able to determine if he had injured his cervical spine, which is located in the neck, as the images were no clear enough. But just a few days later, Mr Gilks started to complain that his limbs were tingling before losing feeling in his legs.
After his condition deteriorated on November 6, a doctor voiced concern that he needed to be evacuated from the ship as he was at risk of paralysis. But due to the risks of a helicopter transfer in the rough conditions, the captain decided it would be safer for Mr Gilks to remain on board until the ship arrived in Portsmouth later that day.
He was transferred by ambulance to hospital, but died on November 8. His cause of death was recorded as complete cervical spine injury. Mr Gilks was one of eight people who needed hospitalisation when the ship arrived in Portsmouth.
The Marine Accident Investigation Board report said: “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 [Mr 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.”
When Mr Gilks was eventually rushed to the hospital, doctors diagnosed him with a severe cervical spinal injury that left him permanently as a quadriplegic. The report added: “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.”
Saga Cruises has apologised for the distress caused to Mr Gilks’ family, reports the New York Post. A spokesperson said: “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. Safety is our number one priority and, whilst the weather is beyond our control, we always follow industry guidelines and best practice.”
The report also said the captain’s decision to cross the Bay of Biscay in high seas was “not effectively challenged by the crew and operational teams ashore”, despite weather information providers “advising against the crossing.” During the voyage the Spirit of Discovery lost propulsion due to its violent movements which caused the propellors to over-speed which led to them automatically shutting down.
The MAIB made a series of recommendations, including to propose that cruise ships be required to be fitted with electronic devices to measure stability. Chief inspector of marine accidents, Rob Loder, said: “While cruising remains safe and accidents rare, Spirit of Discovery’s violent motion in heavy weather caused injury to over 100 passengers and, very sadly, one passenger lost their life as a result of injuries sustained.
“A complex sequence of events led to this accident and we have identified a number of clear lessons around vessel safety, crew decision-making and medical response. I am encouraged by the swift action taken by the vessel’s owner, manager and manufacturers, but I urge the cruise industry to learn the lessons from this tragic accident.”
A Saga cruises spokesperson added: “Following the incident, we promptly took all necessary actions to enhance our policies and procedures, work recognised by the MAIB in this report. We continue to work with our partners to ensure the MAIB recommendations with regard to them are also addressed.”
