New Castle woman shares story of cruise crash survival - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

A central Indiana woman is telling her story of survival in a cruise ship disaster.

"On the seventh of January, we took that cruise. And on the last day of it, was the 13th and it wrecked. Our ship wrecked," said Ericka Abbott of New Castle.

Abbott was aboard the luxurious Costa Concordia, which was dubbed "Titanic 2." More than 4,200 passengers and crew members had a relatively smooth seven-day sail off the western coast of Italy. Abbott and her best friend since grade school, Ingrid, took pictures eating and enjoying music on board.

"Music from the soundtrack of Titanic actually played at dinner," Abbott said.

Moments later, they heard a sound they'll never forget.

"At 9:30, there was a big noise. I was in the bathroom at the time and the light flickered and I said, 'Oh my gosh!' and I came out and my girlfriend said, 'Ericka, come, come!'," Abbott said. "Then we heard the captain saying not to panic, we have it under control, but people were screaming and stuff fell off the tables."

Minutes later, the friends headed to the theater and that's when they became the main attraction.

"We were right there at the entry, you know, and when people come running out of the theater," Abbott said. "The captain said, 'Go to your room,' and we did. And we just waited, probably an hour."

During those excruciating 60 minutes, the ladies took pictures of themselves in the orange life vests.

"After we went to our room, as the ship filled up with water, you know, on the bottom, we was on the second deck, the ship started sliding onto one side," Abbott said.

That's when Captain Francesco Schettino told the passengers to get to the lifeboats and panic - and water - began pouring in.

"It was chaos. Kids were screaming and everybody was scared. You know, you look at people's faces, they were all scared to death," Abbott said. "Actually, there was nobody to help you, you know. You don't see nobody, you don't hear nobody. All the members of the crew, I didn't see nobody really. There was no direction. People was actually, was beating each other to get on, you know, for a place on the lifeboat."

Abbott and Ingrid got separated, trying to get to safety on a nearby island. As the lifeboat headed about a mile away, that's when Abbott realized the captain had hit a boulder, tearing a 160-foot gash in the ship's hull.

"The captain was the first to leave the ship," Abbott said.

Meanwhile, the ship behind her was sinking.

"I just prayed and I prayed all the time, you know, and I was just as calm as can be," Abbott said. "I probably would've freaked out myself."

Abbott's son, Jeff, and other family members back home in Indiana waited to hear some good news.

"I was just glad she was okay," Jeff Abbott said.

Abbott was alive, but not without getting hurt after stepping in a hole in the lifeboat.

"My foot was bruised from bottom to top," she said.

She recorded one final thought to end the story in her journal of the trip.

"'I'm just upset with the whole thing and I just want to go home,' I said. That was the last thing," she said.

But it won't be her last cruise.

"My girlfriend already called and said, 'Ericka, are you ready to go on a cruise again?' I said, 'What you think and where are we going?'," Abbott said.

At least 30 people died when the ship ran aground and capsized. Two people are still missing and are presumed dead. The captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship has been released from house arrest, but must remain in his hometown near Naples. He faces charges of manslaughter and abandoning ship prematurely.