John and Meghan Scimone have shared their harrowing experience of surviving the Costa Concordia disaster, the deadliest shipwreck since the Titanic, in the new Netflix documentary 'Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea.' The film, now streaming, chronicles the 2012 tragedy that claimed 32 lives when the luxury cruise liner collided with rocks off the coast of Giglio, Italy, with over 4,000 people aboard.
Survivors' Ordeal
The Scimones were enjoying a family holiday with their 14-month-old daughter Lilah when the disaster struck. They described feeling unusually strong vibrations in their cabin as the ship lost power. Grabbing their crying child, they rushed to the deck only to find no lifeboats remaining on their side. As the ship listed, the corridor became a steep slide, forcing them to descend with Lilah suffering a severe head injury.
In the water, Meghan recalled a chilling moment when she begged a woman on a lifeboat to take her baby to safety, but the woman refused. Eventually, a lifeboat captain spotted them and pulled them to safety.
Aftermath and Recovery
John struggled with PTSD, panic attacks, and nightmares after returning home. He said, 'When we got home, I was completely broken. I was diagnosed with PTSD, I had panic attacks. I had nightmares.' In the documentary, he breaks down thanking God for his family's survival, and a voice behind the camera tells him, 'John, she survived because of you.' He replied, 'I just fought so hard that night to save them. There were times when I thought we weren't going to get off (the ship). But I'm so glad we did.'
Despite their fears for Lilah's wellbeing, she grew up normally. John said, 'Lilah is the most well-rounded, grounded, incredible 15-year-old. And she's the most beautiful ballerina. She's just such a beautiful young woman.'
A Surprising Gift
Shortly after returning home, Meghan discovered she was pregnant. She said, 'One of the greatest gifts I could've been given was that pregnancy.' Her scan suggested the conception date coincided with the disaster, though that was impossible. John joked, 'Now you know why I didn't have time to put my shirt on!'
'Shipwrecked: Nightmare At Sea' is streaming on Netflix.
