<![CDATA[The Falcon Flyer]]> <![CDATA[The Falcon Flyer]]> /Portals/2/logos/__TFMF_sntcyq2rnpt1gj55ql3tok55_e749d58d-50c8-4bf2-ac05-262b6cace848_0___Selected.jpg en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:25:06 GMT 15 <![CDATA[BWHS Teacher's Mother Almost on the Costa Concordia]]> By Taylor Lewis

Photo Courtesy Danielle Lackey
BWHS teacher Danielle Lackey and her mother.

On January 13, the sinking of the Italian Cruise ship, the Costa Concordia, was a terrible disaster that shocked the whole world. But for one Briar Woods teacher the tragedy hit a little too close to home. On Friday January 13, Briar Woods History teacher Danielle Lackey received a peculiar voicemail from her mother, Laurel Lackey, who then was currently in Italy taking a vacation on a cruise with her friend. ”I start to listen to this voicemail from my mom and as I’m listening I hear her say, “My ship sank,”…I tried calling her back but she didn’t have any cell service there, and at this point in the day I haven’t even heard of the Costa Concordia sinking yet so I’m totally clueless as to what she’s talking about,” said Lackey. Lackey didn’t think much of her mother’s voicemail until her drive home that night to Virginia Beach, when she heard a story on the radio. “As I’m driving home I’m listening to the news and I hear a story about a ship that sank off the cruise of Italy and as I’m listening, I slowly start to piece everything together,” said Lackey. When Lackey did finally realize that that was her mother’s ship she started to panic. She called everywhere to try to locate her mother. “I called everywhere from her hotel to the American Embassy,” said Lackey. Luckily when Lackey called the hotel her mother was supposed to be staying in before her cruise departed, they informed her that her mother had not yet checked out and their luggage was still in her room. “I was so relieved when I found out that she was safe and everything was okay,” said Lackey. When Lackey’s mother was able to get to a phone she called her daughter to inform her of what happened exactly and as to why she was not on the boat. “When my mom called she told me she got up that day with her friend, and walked to the pier, and when they got there the crew members informed her that during the night the ship struck a reef and had sunk,” said Lackey. Lackey’s mother only had to stay in Italy two more nights and then was flown home curtsy of the cruise line. “I know she’s just glad to be home,” said Lackey. On January 13, in the late evening, the massive Italian cruise ship, the Costa Concordia, struck a reef just off the coast of Tuscany, Italy and immediately began to take on water. Officials are still investigating the sinking of the Costa Concordia, but so far the ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino, has been credited with the responsibility of the disaster and has been arrested and charged with manslaughter for the deaths of 25 people. The Costa Concordia is still floating just off shore of the Italian Coast and efforts are now underway to remove the massive ship, debris, and any other remnants of the ship from the Tyrrhenian Sea. ]]> Thu, 01 Mar 2012 18:03:58 GMT