Haunted by news about 80 year old woman left behind on Lizard Island

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You NEVER hike by yourself!

She went with people so don't blame the victim. Sounds like the others left her behind.

The article implies that when she started to feel unwell, the leaders of the group told her to walk back down the way they had come. Then didn't do a headcount before going back to the boat.

If that's true, it's hugely negligent.

[Anonymous]

They should not have left her behind on the hike! My god. A staff member should have made sure that a staff member was always the last person on the hike. That is basic safety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What I find really sad is this was supposed to be a 60 day luxury cruise (yes, 6-0!) and this was her very first port stop.


https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/29/australia/australia-cruise-passenger-lizard-island-intl-hnk

Wow. This article says the crew won't be questioned until they reach port in several more days. That gives the staff time to make up stories.

This is a mess. Just more reason why I would not take a cruise. If they are not killing you with bad food or bacteria on dirty surfaces, they are leaving you behind on an island.

Just no.

[Anonymous]

Someone killed her first and then continued. Hope her family sues the heck out of this company for millions.

And of course they get all their money refunded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You NEVER hike by yourself!

She went with people so don't blame the victim. Sounds like the others left her behind.

The article implies that when she started to feel unwell, the leaders of the group told her to walk back down the way they had come. Then didn't do a headcount before going back to the boat.

If that's true, it's hugely negligent.

Agree. Someone should have accompanied her back. A headcount would have caught the issue.

I did a scuba trip at the Great Barrier Reef years ago and they were very diligent about doing headcounts before the boat moved anywhere. I think sometime before that a couple had been left behind by a scuba boat and lessons were learned. I’m sorry for what the poor woman went through.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They should not have left her behind on the hike! My god. A staff member should have made sure that a staff member was always the last person on the hike. That is basic safety.

+1

[Anonymous]

TIL, Australians can't count.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She decided to have a little rest while the rest of her group continued the hike. I suspect that she had a medical event and that the outcome might not have changed if they had remembered her while boarding and gone out to look for her immediately.

I agree with this. While they shouldn’t have left her alone, I doubt she would have died in one day had there not been a medical issue.

[Anonymous]

This is why I hate cruises. The expedition providers are worried they will lose the contract with the Cruise if they don't get back on time. They were probably thinking the woman would be in trouble for being late to return and not them. It's quite warm and humid there now - it's summer. She probably overheated - she would not have died had the expedition operator raised the alarm.

[Anonymous]

I can’t imagine deciding to be an 81 year old solo traveler on a cruise though. Doesn’t seem smart. If she had enough money for this expensive cruise she should have paid for a nurse of something to go with her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You NEVER hike by yourself!

She wasn't. She stopped to rest with the group and they left her behind. Then forgot they left her

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t imagine deciding to be an 81 year old solo traveler on a cruise though. Doesn’t seem smart. If she had enough money for this expensive cruise she should have paid for a nurse of something to go with her.

Wow, blaming the victim.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I was on the hike, I would have waited with her. So few people are willing to help others.

This struck me as well. Who leaves an older woman experiencing physical difficulties alone? I actually can't really picture every single person on that hike not caring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:TIL, Australians can't count.

The seem to be doing all right with math over all.

Oz had back to back budget surpluses in
2022-23: $22.1 billion
2023-24: $15.8 billion
(Peanuts for the US but they do take balancing their budgets very seriously)

Australia's public debt is significantly lower than the US's, with Australia's government debt-to-GDP ratio around 30% compared to the US's over 100%.

That said, the negligence shown by the Coral Cruiser crew is shocking. This tragedy has sparked calls for tighter maritime safety rules on Great Barrier Reef.

There are already strict Workplace Health and Safety protocols and Maritime Safety Management Systems in place: - All marine operators are legally required to have strict passenger-verification procedures in place for both in-water and on-land activities.

I don’t think the crew will be able to spin this gross negligence away with stories devised before they dock in Darwin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I was on the hike, I would have waited with her. So few people are willing to help others.

This struck me as well. Who leaves an older woman experiencing physical difficulties alone? I actually can't really picture every single person on that hike not caring.

I can. I'm a frequent hiker and even though I "know" never to hike alone, the temptation to not want to bother anybody / not disrupt your own long planned (and expensive) hike to stay with someone can be very strong.

However, staff should not have left her alone + headcount obviously failed multiple times.