Carnival Cruise Passenger falls Overboard at 4 AM and is Rescued by Crew Members

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=3269

June 15, 2009 - (4:20 p.m. EDT)

-- A passenger who went overboard from Carnival Inspiration was rescued this morning when he was found hugging a pilot marker in a shipping channel.According to a Coast Guard news release, "Crewmembers from a pilot vessel rescued a man at about 6:50 a.m. Monday, about one mile southeast of Mullet Key, in Fort Desoto, in St. Petersburg."The man was identified by the Coast Guard as Larry Miller, 46, who told the pilot crew that he had gone overboard from the cruise ship at approximately 4 a.m.According to a statement from Carnival Cruise Lines, "The guest told authorities that he climbed up on a railing to get a better view of the pilot boat when he slipped and fell overboard." Miller was taken to a hospital to be treated for injuries.Interestingly, Carnival did not know the man had gone overboard until reports surfaced of his rescue. He had not been reported missing at that time. The Coast Guard is investigating the incident.Carnival Inspiration was returning to Tampa from a four-night Western Caribbean cruise that departed on Thursday, June 11. The ship is scheduled to depart on a five-night cruise this afternoon as scheduled.--by Dan Askin, Associate Editor