Injured Turbulence Survivors Face Uncertain Future
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
BANGKOK (Worthy News) – Survivors of arguably the worst aircraft turbulence in recent years are recovering in a Bangkok hospital, with some facing life-changing realities.
One Australian woman has no sensation from her waist down after suffering a spinal injury when Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 hit turbulence while flying from London to Singapore.
Kerry Jordan and her husband, Keith Davis, were among the 40 people injured when the plane hit heavy turbulence over Myanmar, also known as Burma.
Davis said his wife had been thrown into the overhead lockers and landed in the aisle, where she remained for the rest of the flight, unable to move.
“She had emergency surgery as soon as we were admitted, and it remains that she has no sensation from her waist down, so it’s pretty life-changing,” he told Australian broadcaster ABC from his hospital bed.
After spending days “in limbo” without hearing from the airline after Tuesday’s incident, Davis said there had been a “sea change” in the couple’s situation after meeting with Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong on Thursday.
One person died on the flight, a man who had a heart attack a row in front of the Australian couple, Davis told the ABC News Breakfast program.
The person who passed away was a 73-year-old British citizen, the General Manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Kittipong Kittikachorn, said on Tuesday.
It happened while the plane reportedly “plunged” 6,000 feet (1.8 kilometers) over the Indian Ocean in a few minutes.
However, it was unclear whether the plunge could be entirely attributed to the turbulence or whether the pilot had tried to move the plane at a different altitude out of the danger zone.
The Boeing 777-300ER, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members, was diverted to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport.
Yet while they survived, the Australian couple now faces weeks in a Bangkok hospital before Jordan is well enough to fly to their Australian home.
Of the 40 passengers and crew on the flight still under treatment, 22 have spinal cord injuries and six brain and skull injuries, according to the hospital’s director, Adinun Kittiratanapaibool.
Davis said there was no warning ahead of the sudden turbulence that shook the flight from London to Singapore, changing their lives forever
While weather forecasts help pilots react, experts say the turbulence experienced on the Singapore flight was unexpected.
“It’s not a spot of turbulence. This is the thing. It was absolute instant — we’re on the ceiling,” Davis said. “We’re talking literally seconds. There’s no announcement. We did not see any indication at all. We just fell into a huge hole, and we’re free-falling and, of course, you know, straight up into the ceiling.”
David recalled that he went headfirst. “We were in the middle section, so I was dead center, and I went up through all the vents and masks and things. Unfortunately for Kerry, she hit the luggage doors.”
Instead of landing back into the seat area, “she fell flat straight into the aisle and from that moment, she didn’t move. That’s where she remained for the rest of the flight.”
Davis said that the experience was “really horrifying, yeah. I remember I leaned over her, and she was breathing. She was able to communicate, you know, she was very weak.”
He added: “I remember feeling her breath, talking, and I realized that I was dripping blood into her dress. Stupid things like that, I thought, ‘Oh, I’m going to ruin her dress.'”
Amid the chaos in the aftermath of the incident, Davis said many passengers managed to remain calm, including a man who performed CPR, a lifesaving technique, on a fellow traveler.
“Unfortunately, the gentleman who passed away was immediately in front of us,” he said. “Fortunately, Kerry wasn’t able to see any of that, but the young gentleman who was sitting next to me, I saw him there. He was applying CPR instantly. “
He said, “This kid had just bounced off a ceiling, destroyed his chair, and he was off applying CPR. Some people just bounced straight out of it. It was amazing.”
Mr Davis thanked consular officials for their support the days after the crash but was shot down by hospital staff when he complained about Singapore Airlines.
“When you’ve got a vacuum like that, you start thinking what the hell is going on,” he said.
The airline said it had arranged for family members to travel to be with the couple, who are among dozens now facing an uncertain future.
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