Man, 19, dies after fall into bay

After arguing with his girlfriend, the Iowa man climbs over the cruise ship's railing and loses his grip.

By JOSH ZIMMER

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 15, 2001

TAMPA -- The young couple were arguing, so they left the disco for the 10th-deck promenade of the Carnival Cruise Line ship Sensation about 3 a.m. Sunday.

A terrible accident would soon make their feud seem small.

Just an hour from docking at the Tampa Port Authority, 19-year-old Michael Hepner of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, climbed over the railing, possibly to scare his girlfriend, the Coast Guard said. But then he lost his grip, plunging about 50 feet into the cold, murky waters of Hillsborough Bay not far from MacDill Air Force Base.

His girlfriend heard him say, "I can't hold on," said Petty Officer Harry Craft. "Then she saw a splash."

Rescuers found Hepner surrounded by four floating life rings. They hoisted him into a helicopter and tried to revive him, but they could not save his life. He died at Tampa General Hospital about 6:30 a.m., about two hours after arrival.

Hepner and his 20-year-old girlfriend had been rooming in the same cabin with her parents, Craft said.

It wasn't clear what the couple were arguing about that night.

"He had climbed out over the rail, probably to, I don't know, scare her," Craft said.

"He didn't say too much," he said. "She (the girlfriend) wasn't really sure what he was going to do. She didn't go toward him. Next thing, he just slipped."

Based on witness accounts, one of two crew members setting tables rushed over to help, but it was too late, Craft said.

The Coast Guard, which worked on the case with the Tampa Police Department, says Hepner appears to have drowned. A final cause of death will be determined by an autopsy, Craft said.

Carnival workers would not comment Sunday as the Sensation prepared to launch for a day-and-a-half trip, and public relations employees did not respond to calls seeking comment. Efforts to reach Hepner's family also were unsuccessful.

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