Minnesota man dies after spinal injury aboard Sun Princess
Stephen Junker died Sept. 4 after receiving emergency treatment in Italy and being transferred to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
Stephen Junker, a 58-year-old Minnesota man, died from complications of a spinal injury suffered aboard Princess Cruises' Sun Princess.
According to a GoFundMe established by Junker's family, he was injured after falling and nearly drowning on Aug. 16. The family said he was found face down and unresponsive in the ship's pool. No reports indicated how the injury occurred.
The Italian Coast Guard transported Junker to Naples, where he entered intensive care and underwent emergency surgery on Aug. 17. The surgery stabilized him, but he could not move or breathe independently.
Junker was transported from Naples to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, on Aug. 23. Further testing reportedly found that his injuries could not be treated. He died on Sept. 4.