‘Belly Flopped And Was Now Coughing Up Blood’

An ambulance was standing by as a 16ft vessel made its way to shore on Tuesday afternoon, with the operator having called 911 after a “person onboard had belly flopped and was now coughing up blood.”

A Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre spokesperson said, “Bermuda Fire & Rescue Service [BFRS] contact BMOC advising that a 911 call was received from the operator of a 16ft vessel, reporting that a person onboard had belly flopped and was now coughing up blood.

“Bermuda Radio establishes contact with vessel who reports that it is inbound to Darrell’s Wharf with injured party, where ambulance is standing by. BFRS were given latest update and injured party attended to on arrival.”

“Belly-flops rarely cause serious injuries,” Dr. Sonu Ahluwalia noted in an unrelated CNN article, with Dr. Ahluwalia noting they they can however cause injuries at times.

“The most common injuries seen with belly-flops are contusions or bruising of the skin. Rarely do these bruises go deeper and affect your internal organs, but they can.

“Deeper abdominal injury from belly flops is known as blunt abdominal trauma. It is similar to being hit on the belly really hard. It can affect organs such as the liver, kidney, pancreas and the bowels.

“Not only is the abdomen taking the brunt of the landing into the water at a high velocity, there is also sudden deceleration, both of which can cause trauma to the organs.”

“After a belly-flop, it is normal for the skin to sting for a while. If the pain is persistent, or if you see blood in your urine or stool, you should see a doctor right away.”

#BermudaMarine

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