An elderly American couple were involved in a tragic accident at a cruise terminal in Europe, leaving one dead and the other with serious injuries.
An 83-year-old woman was struck and killed by a reversing shuttle bus at the port of Livorno, Italy. Her 84-year-old husband is in hospital in a critical condition.
Port Shuttle Bus Struck Elderly Couple Back from a Shore Excursion
The incident took place just after they got off a bus following a shore excursion in the city
It happened as the bus was maneuvering in the port area. It is still unclear if it was the same bus that brought them to the port.
A media report named them as Ellen Jan and Samuel Davis, but this is still unconfirmed. They were rushed to hospital but the woman was declared deceased shortly after arrival. She was found on the ground at the port and despite constant resuscitation attempts, she never regained consciousness.
They were reportedly guests onboard the ship Queen Victoria, operated by UK based Cunard. One guest on the ship confirmed an announcement was made to other guests on the ship about the accident.
The ship was on a three-week Adriatic and Western Mediterranean cruise.
Preliminary investigations suggest the bus driver was reversing as the couple were in a blind spot. One eye witness to the accident told local media: “The driver did not notice their presence until he heard a noise and screams.”
Local police cordoned off the area and interviewed witnesses and reviewed surveillance footage. The investigation was carried out by local and maritime border police. The cruise line or the port authority haven’t publicly responded to the incident yet.
The Port of Livorno is a major cruise hub and the gateway for visiting the Tuscany region and Florence. Last year it welcoming more than 850,000 cruisers. MSC Cruises homeports the MSC Seaside at Livorno.
We reached out to Cunard for a comment and have not heard back.
