Minnesota passenger dies after cruise ship pool incident off Italy

Stephen Junker, 58, of Minnesota died on September 4 after he was injured aboard a cruise ship sailing off the Italian coast on August 16, according to information shared by his family.

A fundraiser established by Junker’s family said he was found unconscious and face down in a pool after suffering a serious spinal cord injury and nearly drowning. The Coast Guard transported him to a hospital in Naples, where he was admitted to intensive care and underwent emergency spinal-cord surgery.

Junker lost motor control in his limbs and needed a ventilator to breathe. He was transferred on August 23 to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, for additional treatment. His family later learned that some of his injuries could not be treated, and he died after more than two weeks of medical care. His daughter, Elizabeth, announced his death in an update to the fundraising page, saying family members and friends were with him when he died.