MAHO--The powerful blast from a departing aeroplane and a sun hat that took flight have landed a cruise ship passenger in hospital with severe injuries.
The woman reportedly was clinging to the fence bordering Princess Juliana International Airport SXM to experience the jet blast on Monday afternoon. The blast swept her hat off and when she turned to try and grab it, she crashed into an oncoming taxi.
The Liberty of the Seas passenger sustained injuries to her right clavicle and several lacerations to her head from colliding with the taxi’s right headlamp in what the police report described as a “freak accident.” She was kept in hospital due to the extent of her injuries and was not able to rejoin the ship when it departed on Monday afternoon. Several of her family members opted to stay in St. Maarten to tend to her instead of continuing their cruise.
Police Traffic Department officers took charge of the scene, closing off the only road connecting Beacon Hill to Maho while the accident was investigated.
