Severe turbulence paralyzes woman in CO511 restroom [18-Apr-2009]
Apr 20, 2009, 6:42 pm
#1
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Severe turbulence paralyzes woman in CO511 restroom [18-Apr-2009]
Severe turbulence paralyzes woman in airplane restroom
McALLEN, Texas (AP) — A South Texas woman remained paralyzed Monday after her Continental Airlines flight from Houston to McAllen experienced severe turbulence.
Three people in all were taken to a local hospital Saturday when Continental flight 511 landed in McAllen at 2:17 a.m., said Continental spokeswoman Mary Clark.
One passenger and a crewmember were treated and released, Clark said.
But a 47-year-old woman who was in the airplane's restroom at the time of the turbulence suffered a fractured neck, Dr. Trey Fulp, an orthopedic spine surgeon at McAllen Medical Center told The McAllen Monitor Monday. The woman, who Fulp did not identify for privacy reasons, was thrown against the ceiling.
Read more of the article here.
I'm actually not sure what day this incident happened though. It says the flight arrived at 2:17 AM, but according to the PDA site Sunday's and Monday's flights were not that delayed. Maybe it was Saturday's flight which was delayed to Sunday morning. Mods may want to edit date in title once we can confirm which day it happened.
McALLEN, Texas (AP) — A South Texas woman remained paralyzed Monday after her Continental Airlines flight from Houston to McAllen experienced severe turbulence.
Three people in all were taken to a local hospital Saturday when Continental flight 511 landed in McAllen at 2:17 a.m., said Continental spokeswoman Mary Clark.
One passenger and a crewmember were treated and released, Clark said.
But a 47-year-old woman who was in the airplane's restroom at the time of the turbulence suffered a fractured neck, Dr. Trey Fulp, an orthopedic spine surgeon at McAllen Medical Center told The McAllen Monitor Monday. The woman, who Fulp did not identify for privacy reasons, was thrown against the ceiling.
Read more of the article here.
I'm actually not sure what day this incident happened though. It says the flight arrived at 2:17 AM, but according to the PDA site Sunday's and Monday's flights were not that delayed. Maybe it was Saturday's flight which was delayed to Sunday morning. Mods may want to edit date in title once we can confirm which day it happened.
Last edited by JetSetBen; Apr 20, 2009 at 6:46 pm Reason: Wrong date in title
Apr 20, 2009, 6:51 pm
#3
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Confirmed, the aircraft arrived early Saturday morning.
Apr 20, 2009, 6:53 pm
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This is why we all should pay attention to the seatbelt sign:
From the Houston Chronicle's article on the incident.
The flight's departure from Houston had been delayed, but the plane had begun its descent into McAllen when it encountered "sudden turbulence." The seat belt signs were illuminated at the time, Clark said.
Apr 20, 2009, 7:05 pm
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This is why we all should pay attention to the seatbelt sign:
From the Houston Chronicle's article on the incident.
From the Houston Chronicle's article on the incident.
I was just reading the same thing and was about to post what you did. There is a reason why the pilots illuminate that sign - for our safety. That being said, my best to those injured especially the women paralzyed.
Apr 20, 2009, 7:31 pm
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I bet the FA's are going to really be strict about the seat blet sign now as they should be and the kettles are going to ignore them anyway.
Apr 20, 2009, 8:17 pm
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Yeah, frequent flyers never ignore the seatbelt sign ...
Apr 20, 2009, 8:21 pm
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On the other hand, the crew had the seat belt sign illuminated for my ENTIRE 9 hour flight from FCO to EWR a few weeks ago, and we never experienced anything worse than light chop (and it was relatively smooth for most of the flight). Crews like that teach passengers to ignore the seat belt sign.
Apr 20, 2009, 8:24 pm
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On the other hand, the crew had the seat belt sign illuminated for my ENTIRE 9 hour flight from FCO to EWR a few weeks ago, and we never experienced anything worse than light chop (and it was relatively smooth for most of the flight). Crews like that teach passengers to ignore the seat belt sign.
Apr 20, 2009, 8:25 pm
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On the other hand, the crew had the seat belt sign illuminated for my ENTIRE 9 hour flight from FCO to EWR a few weeks ago, and we never experienced anything worse than light chop (and it was relatively smooth for most of the flight). Crews like that teach passengers to ignore the seat belt sign.
Apr 20, 2009, 8:32 pm
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What part of "for everyone's safety, customers are required to follow all crew instructions and observed all posted and lighted sign..." do people still not understand? It her own damn fault if she gets injured because she can't follow a simple FAA regulation. If the seatbelt sign hasn't been turned off for a really long time and there's no turbulence, politely ask the F/A if you can get up.
Apr 20, 2009, 8:38 pm
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Apr 20, 2009, 8:59 pm
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What part of "for everyone's safety, customers are required to follow all crew instructions and observed all posted and lighted sign..." do people still not understand? It her own damn fault if she gets injured because she can't follow a simple FAA regulation. If the seatbelt sign hasn't been turned off for a really long time and there's no turbulence, politely ask the F/A if you can get up.
Thanks to the OP. I will definitely think twice about breaking the seatbelt sign rule in the future.
Apr 20, 2009, 9:06 pm
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I'm very sorry to hear this and I hope for a speedy recovery for all involved.
This is not a simple situation. While this was a short flight, it was also arriving past 2 AM. This of course implies that that there were lots of delays involved. If the delays occurred in the penalty box, then it could be that they were on the plane for a lot longer than one would expect and the short period inflight may have been the first chance in some time to access the facilities.
This is not a simple situation. While this was a short flight, it was also arriving past 2 AM. This of course implies that that there were lots of delays involved. If the delays occurred in the penalty box, then it could be that they were on the plane for a lot longer than one would expect and the short period inflight may have been the first chance in some time to access the facilities.