39 year old jumps from Carnival Conquest Friday night as it leaves Cozumel

[driftin' by]

Somebody died here guys. He was a son, maybe a father or a husband to somebody. All reports use the word 'jump' and not 'fell'. Could have been a suicide, or could have been a simple mistake that changed his life and others forever.

Jump implies it was self inflected. I feel very sorry for the survivors and the mental anguish they will endure.

 

[DandyDon]

Stupidity & alcohol seemed to be more likely than suicide. He was from east of Dallas, drunk, dared by friends, and went in from the ninth level. I suspect he may have climbed onto the balcony in drunken jest, then lost control...

Search continues for Forney man missing in Gulf | wfaa.com Dallas - Fort Worth

Passengers saw what happened, but no one really knows how — or why — a Forney man fell to his death from a cruise ship on Saturday night.

Investigators said Clint Markham, 39, jumped from a 9th level deck. Witnesses said it was a dare, he was drunk and he slipped into the water.

The Carnival Conquest pulled into port at Galveston Sunday without Markham on board.

"I don't know what he was thinking," said one witness. "I don't know if he was intoxicated to that point that he thought, 'Hey, I can do this.' Or he thought, 'I can jump off and they'll come get me.' Or if he really intentionally meant that. Whatever it was, we just gotta say a little prayer."

The official statement from Carnival Cruise Lines said Markham "jumped overboard," but Melvin McAfee, Markham's neighbor and good friend, said there's no way he did it intentionally; Markham had too much to live for.

"I can't see him killing himself, committing suicide," McAfee said.

Markham lived in a modest brick home with his wife Michelle and their children. Friends said he recently purchased a black BMW for his son and was eager to vacation with his wife.

But the seven-day cruise to Cozumel became their last trip together.

"I've heard of that a few years ago of someone falling off a ship and they couldn't find the body, but this close to home is unbelievable... it's unreal," McAfee said.

Mexican search and rescue operations had yet to recover Markham's body as of late Sunday.

Staff aboard the Carnival Conquest have reportedly assisted Markham's wife during her time of grief.

 

[scubawife]

(post deleted by poster)

 

[driftin' by]

Not a big difference between over consumption and suicide. YMMV.

 

[scubawife]

Too much drinking and heights don't mix. Very sad that a family is without a dad and husband just because of some stupid drinking dare on vacation.

 

[billindenver]

Darwin is seldom forgiving. A dare eh? And this guy has children? I feel very sorry for them...but not for him. Actually, they are likely better off without his influence.

I dare you to hang 100 feet over the water like you were born without a brain..... Idiot.

 

[Darol]

Wow, that's brutal....

 

[DennisS]

"Hold my beer, watch this"

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Wow, that's brutal....

Accurate though. If someone is going to be irresponsible there will be consequences - that's just a fact of life.

The tragedy is when some one else pays the consequences for some one else's irresponsible actions.

You can argue the survivors are paying those consequences but you can also argue that over the long term they are now getting off cheap now that he's taken himself out of the picture.

I have so sympathy for that kind of stupidity - especially when it hurts others.

 

[pidgiepoo]

Somebody died here guys. He was a son, maybe a father or a husband to somebody. All reports use the word 'jump' and not 'fell'. Could have been a suicide, or could have been a simple mistake that changed his life and others forever.

So sorry, I didn't realize someone died. I retract my comment about being "high" and I agree it's not funny. I just wondered where you got the information that he definitely died..it just says he hasn't been located yet in the article you posted.