(MyFoxBoston.com) -- A simple bump on the head turned one New Hampshire woman's dream vacation into a nightmare. When we first met Christina Ricci's family in September, we learned the 24-year-old was in a coma. Now we've learned she's passed away and Friday night, her family is turning to FOX25.
Her mother, Lisa Ricci, said, "I just need to know what happened to her."
The Ricci family of Pembroke, N.H. has been on a quest for answers since they got the early morning phone call on Sept. 11 to let them know their 24-year-old daughter Christina was badly hurt while on the Carnival Victory.
"You just go numb," she said.
Christina was on the cruise ship with her boyfriend heading to the Bahamas when somehow she fell and hit her head.
"When we met with the doctor they said Christina's left side of the brain was completely gone, there was no blood flow to it, she had a massive stroke," Lisa said.
Three weeks later she died, and Friday night her family is kicking the search for answers into high gear. The Ricci's say Christina had no underlying medical condition, to their knowledge, and claim the cruise line is remaining tight lipped about the incident saying they haven't released medical records as they requested or surveillance footage if there is any.
"We just know that there was a timeline that she could have gotten help and we were told by one doctor that was 2 to 4 hours, another doctor 1 to 3 hours," she said.
However, it was actually 6 to 8 hours, they say, before Christina was taken off the boat and to a hospital in Miami. She says she asked Carnival several times why Christina wasn't taken off the ship sooner, but hasn't received a response.
So now this heartbroken family is speaking up, hoping to change the way care is offered on the high seas.
"There needs to be more in place, EKG machines, CAT scans, if they have room for a golf course they need to have room for a hospital room," she said.
A spokesperson for Carnival sent the following statement Friday:
On Friday, Sept. 11, 2015, during a four-day cruise from Miami aboard the Carnival Victory, a 24-year-old female guest was seriously injured after falling on board. After being evaluated by the ship’s medical team, it was determined that the guest required further treatment ashore. The ship’s captain increased the vessel’s speed and the guest was debarked in Key West where she was taken to a shoreside medical facility. Members of Carnival’s CareTeam provided support and assistance to the guest and her traveling companions both during and after the cruise. We extend our most heartfelt sympathies to her family and loved ones during this difficult time.?
Cox Media Group
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