Passenger on Virgin Voyages Falls to Death, Strikes Another

The Valiant Lady immediately returned to port

By Steve Huff, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 4, 2023 2:33 PM CDT

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Passenger on Virgin Voyages Falls to Death, Strikes Another — Virgin Voyage's luxury cruise ship Scarlet Lady arrives for the first time into Portsmouth, England. (Steve Parsons/PA via AP)

A passenger died after falling from a balcony on a Virgin Voyages cruise ship over the weekend, reports USA Today. The passenger on the Valiant Lady was mortally injured Sunday after landing on a lower deck of the ship, striking another passenger, who was uninjured, according to People. Valiant Lady was sailing to Roatan, Honduras, but a Virgin rep says the ship "was immediately redirected back to Miami, where the team are working closely with local officials." The ship later departed with an adjusted destination of Cozumel; some passengers left "shaky" by the death opted to get off in Miami.

Virgin Voyages is just two years old, having launched in 2021. The line's first ship, the Scarlet Lady, sails from Miami to the Caribbean. The second ship, Valiant Lady, entered service in 2022 and sails from Miami to the Caribbean and Europe. No word yet on the cause of the fall. Generally speaking, cruise ships are safe, and a 2022 article by the Points Guy notes that it isn't easy to leap from a deck or balcony. The site notes that such falls often happen due to drunken mishaps like misfired stunts, including attempts to climb from one balcony to another. (More cruise ships stories.)

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