Cruise Ship Passenger Dies After Jump Into Water Goes Wrong

During a port call in Honduras, a father-of-four from the United States who was aboard a cruise ship with his family reportedly perished after jumping from a pier.

According to Cruise Law News, which is operated by maritime attorney Jim Walker, Edmund David Rucker was on a week-long Royal Caribbean cruise that departed Galveston, Texas, on March 12.

He passed away on March 15 following the Allure of the Seas’ arrival at the Honduran island of Roatan.

“While ashore in Roatan, Honduras, a guest sailing on board Allure of the Seas sadly passed away. Royal Caribbean International is providing support and assistance to the guest’s loved ones at this time,” Royal Caribbean said in a statement.

Rucker, 52, reportedly suffered a head injury after leaping from a high pier and was left unconscious once his body fell into the sea.

After many minutes, his relatives noticed he hadn’t surfaced and notified the authorities.

The local newspaper said that once Rucker was taken from the water, medical personnel attempted to revive him but were unable. Due to a strike by the Public Prosecutor’s Office personnel, his body was left on the beach for at least four hours.

Rucker’s corpse was transported aboard the Allure of the Seas just before it departed Roatan, according to a passenger who spoke to Cruise Legal News.

According to Cruise Law News, the Death On the High Seas Act, a federal statute, regulates fatalities in foreign seas but only allows for compensation for eligible family members’ financial losses.

A GoFundMe initiative was launched over the weekend to assist the Rucker family with funeral and other expenses.

On the website, which has already received more than $20,000 in donations, Jeff Hornback stated that the family “are suffering from a sudden and tragic loss of their hero and patriarch. Eddie Rucker passed away unexpectedly, leaving his wife and four children behind to deal with the emotional and financial challenges that come with the loss of a loved one. As a community, we can come together to offer our support to help the Rucker family through this difficult time. We are raising funds to help cover the costs of the funeral and other expenses to secure the future success of Eddie’s family that he loved with all his heart.”