The boat excursion scheduled for Sunday 16 June 2024 in the Goro pocket could have ended in drama for a tourist from Ravenna. At 10.20, while the motor ship Dalì, which left the canal port of Porto Garibaldi, was sailing towards the Island of Love, MS, a 60-year-old resident of Ravenna, was struck by a sudden illness and collapsed unconscious.
Saved by the helmsman
Nicola Carli, the helmsman who was guiding visitors through the natural beauty of the Po Delta Park, immediately raised the alarm on 1530, the number for emergencies at sea, and began cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuvers, for which is trained and qualified. In the meantime, the air ambulance took off from the Santa Maria delle Croci hospital in Ravenna and reached the motor ship in a few minutes. With the help of a winch, the doctor and the 118 nurse were lowered on board. The vessel, with the assistance of the Coast Guard, then made an emergency docking in the port of Gorino. The ambulance staff also participated in the rescue operations, while the helicopter was ready in the Gorino sports park to transfer the tourist to hospital.
The lifesaving app
Several local residents, alerted via the “Dae Respond” app (an application that extends the alert to those who have cardiopulmonary resuscitation qualifications with a defibrillator), reached the location to offer assistance.
After prolonged resuscitation maneuvers, the 60-year-old’s heart started beating again. Stabilised, the woman was transported by ambulance to the air ambulance, which took off for the Bufalini hospital in Cesena; the patient is currently hospitalized with a reserved prognosis in the haemodynamic room of the Intensive Care Unit. The illness that caused the cardiac arrest turned out to be a sudden heart attack. Only the speed and competence of the young commander of the motor vessel, together with the timely rescue operations, prevented the tragedy.
«We did everything possible – these are the words of Nicola Carli – we were all affected by what happened, but we did our best, together with 118, to save the tourist. We hope that she recovers soon and we will try to maintain telephone contact with her.”
