Cathay “Medical Assistance” Passenger Files Suit After Falling From Stretcher

A Cathay Pacific flyer who required special assistance to and from a flight has filed suit for injuries caused after a fall from a stretcher while in transit.

A Cathay Pacific passenger identified as Luk Fung-yee in court documents is seeking unspecified damages in a Hong Kong courtroom for injuries caused in an alleged incident that occurred in January of last year. In legal filings, the injured party claims to have fallen from a stretcher while disembarking from a flight from Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) to Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) using the airline’s “medical assistance” service.

According to the South China Morning Post, the incident occurred as subcontractors were helping Luk Fung-yee from a flight. The lawsuit also names AIA International, the medical transportation firm said to be responsible for the accident, as a co-defendant.

In court filings, attorneys for Luk Fung-yee assert that although AIA International workers were the ones ultimately negligent in the accident, the airline shares the blame for their client’s injuries because of Cathay Pacific’s failure to alert passengers that the “medical assistance” service offered on its website is in fact operated by a third party. At the time of the incident in question, AIA provided “medical repatriation service” for the airline’s flights at SIN.

On the Cathay Pacific booking site, stretcher service is listed as a form of special assistance offered by the carrier with no mention of a third party. “Subject to availability, a stretcher may be provided by Cathay Pacific on request,” according to information provided by the airline. “Passengers traveling in a stretcher will be charged an additional fee to cover the additional costs associated with this service.”

[Photo: Cathay Pacific]