A tragic incident occurred aboard the Sky Princess, a Princess Cruises ship, on December 21, 2024. Elizabeth McElmurray, a 48-year-old American woman, lost her life when she attempted to jump overboard but fell onto a lower deck of the vessel. The ship was in route back to Florida after an eight-day cruise across the Caribbean.
A Princess Cruises spokesperson reported that “Shipboard personnel immediately provided emergency medical care, but despite their best efforts, she could not be revived.”
The Sky Princess began its Caribbean journey on December 15, visiting several destinations such as Cozumel, Mexico, Ocho Rios, Jamaica, and the Grand Cayman Islands. The ship, in service since 2019, has the capacity to host over 3,600 passengers.
The ship’s crew informed passengers about the incident via overhead speakers, advising them to stay in their cabins. In response to the incident, Princess Cruises has made counseling services available to passengers and crew members affected by the tragedy.
A relative of McElmurray voiced appreciation for the support they received, stating, “the online community for their sensitivity and understanding.” McElmurray was accompanied by her family on the cruise.
Princess Cruises is fully cooperating with local and federal investigations into McElmurray’s death. A company representative expressed, “The cruise line expressed their deepest condolences to the guests’ family and friends.”
A Reddit user who witnessed the incident wrote, “My mom and cousin watched the whole thing. They were directly below us, two floors down. Nobody ever came to question them. They are very traumatized by it.” The witnesses stated that it was highly distressing to see the incident unfold, as they saw McElmurray “hit everything on the way down.”
Such incidents are relatively uncommon in the cruise industry. A study found 623 reported deaths on cruise ships from 2000 to 2019, 89% of which were passengers. Falls overboard or onto lower decks accounted for 23% of these incidents, followed by suicide/murder/terror attacks at 19% and cardiac incidents at 16%.
This incident follows a recent case involving Princess Cruises, where a 72-year-old American man is believed to have fallen overboard from the Ruby Princess during a five-day voyage to Mexico. The search operation involving Coast Guard planes and helicopters was launched after reviewing security footage but has since been suspended.