Ontario MD helps out in cruise ship mishap

An Ontario surgeon was pitched into action after the luxury cruise liner Crown Princess suddenly listed to starboard off the Florida coast, throwing scores of passengers into furniture and fixtures, and leaving many with broken bones, dislocated joints and head injuries.

Dr. Gerald Brock of London, Ont., who assisted in the ship’s infirmary after the incident on Tuesday, was on Day 7 of a nine-day cruise out of New York with his wife Leslie. The captain blamed the incident on a problem with the ship’s computer system that affected the rudders, throwing the Crown Princess violently to its right side, Brock said.

Passengers had seen the movie Jaws the night before, while Titanic was to play that evening, which was “maybe pushing the envelope,” Brock joked.