I was on a flight to Baltimore in October 2006 during which we had two emergencies in the air. On both occasions, the stewardess asked if there was a doctor on the flight and several responded before I could get out of my seat so I was an observer. We landed at Kansas City to disembark one ill passenger and then landed again to disembark the other. My non-stop flight turned into a day-long marathon but both passengers survived although I’m not sure that both situations were life threatening. That was a Southwest Airlines flight and the situations were handled efficiently.The passenger on an American Airlines flight from Haiti was not so lucky. She died after two oxygen bottles were found to be empty and a defibrillator may not have worked. A doctor was present and declined to comment but we will probably hear more about this.Airline travel when I took my first flight in 1957 was a bit exotic. Nowadays, it is the equivalent of the Greyhound bus in “It Happened One Night.” Airborne emergencies happen all the time and the cabin pressure at 5,000 feet can be dangerous to some passengers with marginal cardiac or pulmonary function. Airlines must be more responsible than this story suggests American was.
>>>>The passenger on an American Airlines flight from Haiti was not so lucky. She died after two oxygen bottles were found to be empty and a defibrillator may not have worked.
A few airline personnel, a couple EMTs, and a cardiac surgeon commented. Some thought the oxygen bottles worked, but because the attached bags did not visibly inflate, the relatives might have thought the bottles were empty. That particular plane carries 10 oxygen bottles. Some suspected that the defib unit didn’t fire because it could not find a shockable pulse.
There was a strong anti-airline sentiment — many complained about poor airline service, and about half the commentators wanted the airline sued into oblivion. I liked the one that said, “You all scream for the absolute lowest fare, until something like this happens.”
Defibrillators have an “asynchronous setting” and that should be automatic on one of these automated machines. I saw the article before the comments you mention appeared.
Stories like this get me to wondering about our tort system. Many commentators are eager to throw American Airlines under the bus, but I suspect some of these same people think it is okay that we turned OJ loose. I’m thinking it is kind of a Liberal thing to turn individuals loose, but hammer corporations, and it is kind of a Conservative thing to hold individuals accountable, but let the market punish corporations. Though I admit the markets are often distorted enough that it can be hard to bring pressure on a corporate entity.
And next I read the newest blog item about the arrogance of Microsoft, which lessens my faith in corporations to make life better.