Susan Schwartz, owner of a boutique public relations firm in Dallas, is counting her lucky stars: On January 8, she survived a deadly catamaran accident in Costa Rica, off Punta Leona beach, where she was vacationing with her fiancé, Chris Goodger.
In a personal post on the Susan Christine Ink website, she recounts the incident, telling friends and family that she and Goodger are both okay after floating for more than 30 minutes waiting to be rescued. All were not as lucky as Schwartz, however, as three people perished. (According to Daily Mail, the victims have been named as U.S. citizen Edna Oliver, 68; Briton Ivor Stanley Hopkins, 80; and Canadian Sharon Johnson, 70.)
The cause of the accident? Rough winds at sea caused water to come on and eventually tip over the boat. Guests tried to balance the boat by standing on one side; however, their efforts proved unsuccessful.
"We were eventually rescued by a cargo ship," Schwartz says in her recent post. "Praise God that two of the cargo ship's men were cleaning the top deck and saw the drama take place and were able to begin filming immediately and turn their ship toward us to help rescue us. Private fishing charters also came to rescue others as well."
It seems that even after this horrible ordeal, Schwartz has been able to maintain her sense of humor. "We are so glad that we are all okay," she said. "What a surreal experience and jellyfish suck."
Schwartz officially launched Susan Christine Ink this month after working as a publicist for Power Public Relations for several years. She and Goodger are set to marry this summer.
Susan Schwartz owns Susan Christine Ink, a boutique PR agency in Dallas. Previously she was a publicist at Power Public Relations.
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