Woman, 28, airlifted off her first cruise after suffering horrific 'genital injuries' caused by zip line accident

By NATASHA ANDERSON, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 13:34, 21 July 2026 | Updated: 13:57, 21 July 2026 A woman was airlifted off of her first-ever cruise after she suffered serious intimate injuries during a zip lining shore excursion in Honduras. Kirsten Lindsey, 28, was catastrophically injured on a rope swing on day three of her Carnival Cruise. Horrifying footage of the incident shows Lindsey jumping off the platform, but instead of swinging out, the retrieval line tightened between her legs. After a few moments of struggle, Lindsey released the rope and fell into the water. Lindsey initially believed she had just been scratched in the accident, but hours after she returned to the dock her injuries worsened.  'The swelling became severe, the pain became unbearable, and she eventually needed a wheelchair just to get back to our cabin,' her boyfriend, Blake Ford, wrote in a GoFundMe campaign.  Lindsey was rushed to the ship's medical center where doctors spent 26 hours treating her. Despite their best efforts, her injuries grew too severe to treat there.  The 28-year-old's pain became so severe that she was barely able to move. Medical staff were desperately trying to keep her awake because 'she would stop breathing whenever she drifted off from the pain medication,' Ford recalled. Kirsten Lindsey, 28, was catastrophically injured on a rope swing during a shore excursion in Honduras. Lindsey jumped off the platform, but instead of swinging out, the zip line's retrieval line tightened between her legs Lindsey was rushed to the ship's medical center where doctors spent 26 hours treating her. She was barely able to move and doctors were desperately trying to keep her awake because 'she would stop breathing whenever she drifted off from the pain medication' The couple evacuated the vessel in Costa Maya, Mexico and were taken via ambulance to the airport through severe weather.  A private medical jet then flew them to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where Lindsey underwent a series of tests and emergency surgery. Doctors removed a 'baseball sized clot' during the surgery, Lindsey's mother, Tara McKinney, revealed in an update shared on social media. On Friday, the day after her surgery, the couple embarked on an 18-hour drive back to their hometown of Bossier City, Louisiana.  After they finally made it home, Lindsey had to be readmitted to the emergency room.  'They were completely shocked she was even discharged from the last hospital so early but now thank god we’re home and with OUR doctors and not the ones carnival sent us to!' Ford wrote in a Facebook update on Sunday. 'Everyone that’s seen the injury has never seen anything like it but they are doing everything they can to prevent permanent damage to her.' Lindsey faces a long road to recovery and the couple are facing mounting medical bills. The air flight alone cost them $50,000 and they were charged around $3,500 for services provided on the cruise ship. Lindsey had been on her first-ever cruise, which she took with her boyfriend Blake Ford  The couple evacuated the Carnival Cruise ship in Costa Maya, Mexico and were taken via ambulance to the airport through severe weather. A private medical jet then flew them to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where Lindsey underwent a series of tests and emergency surgery 'The financial impact has been overwhelming. Between emergency transportation, medical expenses, travel, lodging, lost income, and the unexpected costs of getting ourselves and our vehicle back home, the expenses continue to grow,' Ford wrote. Lindsey also said that she is grateful for the outpouring of support, prayers and donations that they have already received.  'Thank you to everyone for all the thoughts & prayers & everyone who has reached out, donated, etc. It’s very much appreciated. I feel so loved,' she wrote on Facebook. 'Long road ahead as far as recovery. But I’m so thankful for everyone who has prayed & donated.' The Daily Mail has approached Carnival Cruise lines for comment.