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Original poster

WWYD? Concussion after suitcase fell on my head!

465 replies

UndertheCedartree · 27/09/2025 11:19

Just a thread to get opinions on this and decide what to do.

I was boarding my flight home from Florida on Thursday evening and was just sitting down when a suitcase landed on my head having fallen from the overhead locker. Honestly, the whole experience has been horrible and I feel I've been really badly treated. Being in the US all the Americans keep telling me to sue!

I don't necessarily want to do that but I would like to stop someone experiencing the same. Or I just forget about it and move on. Just interested to hear opinions.

So after it happened they called firefighters (who are paramedics too) to attend. When waiting for this I noticed they had moved my hand luggage off the plane and got my teenage children out of their seats who were both standing there crying. The firefighters came and the airline crew were telling me I have to go to hospital. I asked for some observations to be done and a stretcher brought. They insisted I had to get off the plane. The pilot came out, no empathy atall, just told me to get off the plane or he would call the police! I went with the firefighters and they told me they would have preferred to do observations before moving me but have to do what the airline says.

Anyway they took me to hospital and they said I was ok to fly home the next day. I tried to get in touch with someone to ask for some accommodations to make the flight more bearable as I was in so much pain. I was told I have to speak to 'the airport team' - we arrived at the airport at 11am and there was noone from the airline there. Eventually they came at 1pm but told me they just work on their behalf they can do nothing I need to speak to the airline on the phone/online. Tried numbers, messaging for hours. Eventually I was told they would make sure I was comfortable on the flight with pillows etc. We got on the flight having been up for a day and a half and so uncomfortable from.just sitting on airport seating, I thought I was finally going to be comfortable. When I got on board I asked for a pillow. You would have thought I'd asked for the crown jewels! I was shouted at, told there was only one pillow person customer (not actually a pillow just a small thin cushion) It was a horrible, painful flight and I felt so bad and was so dizzy when I got off the flight I am now in A&E.

They think it is a concussion but I failed one of the neurological observations so I'm waiting for a CT scan. I honestly think they could have taken more care and been much nicer. Wwyd?

OP posts:
Everyonceinawhile · 28/09/2025 19:54

Greybeardy · 27/09/2025 12:44

What did your insurance company suggest?

I would also talk to a solicitor and do your own research, even try ChatGpt and see what that says

Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 28/09/2025 19:54

3isthemagicnumber3 · 28/09/2025 17:43

What neurological observation did you fail?

The one where you stand up and close your eyes!

OP posts:
Boohoo76 · 28/09/2025 19:54

Soontobe60 · 27/09/2025 17:58

Which long haul aircraft accepts 23kg hand luggage???

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British Airways. And it’s not just long haul. It applies to short hall as well. You can take two cabin bags, one bag at 23kg plus a smaller bag (e.g. handbag, laptop bag).

ChickalettasGiblets · 28/09/2025 19:52

Complain to BA. The pilots should have filed what is known as an ASR to report the accident as you were treated and removed from the flight so they will be aware of it.

Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 28/09/2025 19:51

LIZS · 28/09/2025 16:53

I would suggest the crew and pilot were trying to ensure the plane could leave on time. Op, in your dazed state perhaps you were not behaving as rationally as you might normally. Getting you medical attention was the most appropriate action and there would be evacuation protocols to follow. Assume you have paid for the family to stay overnight until you could board the next flight, which presumably BA arranged at no additional cost. Unless the hospital notes stated you needed to be accommodated reclined then whatever the crew provided was adequate and availability of additional space may have depended on how full the plane was. If you had contacted your insurer they would have made such arrangements and covered any costs for you. Hopefully you are now reviewed, scanned and discharged, although you may be advised to have someone stay with you for a day or two. Not sure you would get far suing BA but by all means complain.

That is possible I guess. Would have been simpler and quicker to just let the firefighters do observations than threaten me though! The hospital did put accommodations in the paperwork but I obviously went the wrong way about getting them. Wish BA had just told me to contact my insurance than telling me a load of bullshit.

OP posts:
LIZS · 28/09/2025 19:50

UndertheCedartree · 28/09/2025 19:44

All he did was threaten me with the police. I said 'go ahead'...funnily enough he didn't call them!

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Was that when you were resisting leaving the plane?

Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 28/09/2025 19:44

notimagain · 28/09/2025 16:46

@DressOrSkirt

There are many reasons people want their flights to leave on time, including their health, medications, appointments, ability to be seated for so long etc.

Agreed, It's all very well people claiming they'd be generous with their own time, but on many BA Longhaul flights onto London you'll can quite possibly be looking at 100, plus/minus connecting passengers. Their plans might be totally screwed by an extended departure delay.

As for the hints at nasty pilots by some posters...frankly if you end up with the senior management onboard having to get involved in the cabin and talking to local agencies (e.g. paramedics) it's probably a sign that the situation was deteriorating and needed gripping.

Sometimes (slots, crew duty.limits, etc etc).
someone has to step in and do some straight talking...

Edited

All he did was threaten me with the police. I said 'go ahead'...funnily enough he didn't call them!

OP posts:
TheCheekyCyanHelper · 28/09/2025 19:43

MrsWhites · 28/09/2025 13:43

This is all a bit strange OP, no doubt you have been treated very poorly by the airline but I find it strange that you ‘couldn’t speak properly’ in the hospital in the US but were also cleared to fly. Absolutely no way will an America hospital treat you for free so your details for billing must have been handed over at some point!

You absolutely need to contact your travel insurance - a bill is likely going to be produced at some point plus if you do want to take legal action they will need to know. I’ve got to say it’s a little strange that you either can’t or won’t contact them yet you have the capability to post on here.

This is a lesson to us all maybe to pass our travel insurance details to a relative if travelling with children alone so someone else can help!

Yeah, that part is where the whole thing falls apart. If she was that injured, and that concussed, there is no way she would have been cleared for flight. She would have been at risk for a brain bleed from the pressure changes. Not to mention not considered competent enough to walk out of the hospital....

User16042025 · 28/09/2025 19:41

AngelicKaty · 28/09/2025 19:32

Op said the luggage hit her just as she was sitting down, which suggests people were boarding and stowing their cabin luggage with or without the help of the cabin crew. I don't believe OP has ever said that the O/H locker was shut (unless I missed that?) and one of the actions you will notice cabin crew doing when the flight is ready for push-back is to walk along he aisle and check that all lockers are firmly shut - this flight clearly wasn't at that stage.
The point is, the airline is responsible for your safety - in fact, that's the primary job of the cabin crew (not bringing round food and selling perfume as some people seem to think) - so if OP was injured whilst on-board, BA could be held liable.

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That doesn't make it the airlines fault though does it if someone doesn't put their baggage in properly does it? if so , 🙄 Jesus. If that was the case surely they would insist on doing it themselves.

AngelofIslington · 28/09/2025 19:41

You are saying that you thought you were ok to fly, do you know accept, due to your confused state and concussion, that the airline staff were correct. They did the correct thing for your safety?

Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 28/09/2025 19:40

User16042025 · 28/09/2025 16:32

So what were the results of your CT scan?

All clear. I've been discharged with a follow up at my local hospital. They said I should feel better in a couple of weeks.

OP posts:
Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 28/09/2025 19:38

Rainallnight · 28/09/2025 16:43

I was in an accident in the States several years ago and I regret not suing to this day.

I'm sorry to hear that. Do you? For what reason?

OP posts:
Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 28/09/2025 19:36

Livelovebehappy · 28/09/2025 16:29

it all sounds like it escalated pretty quickly. The pilot threatening you with the police if you didn’t leave the plane? Was there some sort of altercation that you haven’t told us about in the lead up to this threat? You definitely do need to pursue it via your insurance. I’m also guessing they’ll advise you on what you need to do regarding how it was all handled.

No altercation but I was asking for obs to be done and a stretcher. The obs could certainly have been done in the time they were threatening me. I did also say initially I didn't want to go to hospital because I thought I was alright - that was while we were waiting for the fire fighters to come.

OP posts:
TheCheekyCyanHelper · 28/09/2025 19:34

UndertheCedartree · 28/09/2025 11:49

I take it you aren't a medical professional. The point of paramedics is to deal with the situation at scene. It's not 30 years ago when am ambulance man just scooped people up and took them to hospital causing all sorts of damage.

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You obviously aren't either, because their job is to get you out of there and to treatment. Why do you think they would just moniter you WHERE it happened? That isn't normal. Their job is to make sure you don't have any life threatening injuries, and then take you to a hospital.

AngelicKaty · 28/09/2025 19:33

Bikergran · 28/09/2025 19:04

Complain and sue. Which airline was it?

BA - OP told us that in her second post at 10:48.

femfemlicious · 28/09/2025 19:33

SimoneHere · 28/09/2025 18:37

You should let them know then, because BA very happily accepted my 20kg+ suitcase as cabin baggage last month when flying transatlantic.

At the time, knowing it was a particularly heavy case compared to what I would normally take onboard, I asked what the limit was and they said 23kg. Having just now googled to check my own sanity, it gives dimensions and says you must be able to lift it into the overhead locker unassisted. That’s all.

I fly a couple of times a month, although mostly within Europe, and I have never had the weight of my cabin baggage checked. Dimensions yes, weight no.

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Wow that is crazy. When I'm travelling to Nigeria, they weigh our cabin luggage and it must be 10kg!. Not fair at all!

Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 28/09/2025 19:32

AngelicKaty · 28/09/2025 16:29

Bizarrely, it is (on BA anyway). They give cabin bag maximum dimensions, but not weight. I guess, if you adhere to the dimensions, the only way you could make a bag that small really heavy is to fill it with gold bars! 😂

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Maybe I missed a trick and should have claimed the case full of gold bars was mine!

OP posts:
AngelicKaty · 28/09/2025 19:32

User16042025 · 28/09/2025 19:24

But everyone is warned of the risk of luggage falling out of the overhead lockers on a flight.. I can't belive it just fell out of it's own accord when it was shut.

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Op said the luggage hit her just as she was sitting down, which suggests people were boarding and stowing their cabin luggage with or without the help of the cabin crew. I don't believe OP has ever said that the O/H locker was shut (unless I missed that?) and one of the actions you will notice cabin crew doing when the flight is ready for push-back is to walk along he aisle and check that all lockers are firmly shut - this flight clearly wasn't at that stage.
The point is, the airline is responsible for your safety - in fact, that's the primary job of the cabin crew (not bringing round food and selling perfume as some people seem to think) - so if OP was injured whilst on-board, BA could be held liable.

Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 28/09/2025 19:30

AngelicKaty · 28/09/2025 16:24

She could sue for personal injury (and possibly emotional distress) but I agree, her priority should be informing her insurer about the incident, not asking about potential legal action. I find it really odd that she hasn't yet informed her travel insurance provider ... 🤔

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My dad has now!

OP posts:
Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 28/09/2025 19:29

LateLifeReturnee · 28/09/2025 16:16

Why am I not surprised it was British Airways?

At the very least, send in a complaint.

Oh really?

The American staff at the airport, all the medical staff were very nice. Most of he BA staff were horrible. One lady made me cold compresses and then one manager stepped in and called an ambulance in the UK. The rest were horrible.

OP posts:
bluegreygreen · 28/09/2025 19:27

Perhaps, @AngelicKaty, but not particularly relevant to this thread and not particularly pleasant to be trawling OP's past posts and sharing such information.

AngelicKaty · 28/09/2025 19:25

bluegreygreen · 28/09/2025 19:18

@pugnaciouspixie I don't think that 3 year old post is helpful or relevant here.

There is no immediate risk to OP's children of her father helping her with some paperwork - especially as the children are currently with their own father.

There's no risk whatsoever if OP's father is dealing with it all remotely over the phone for her, but to be fair to @pugnaciouspixie I think she's expressing surprise that OP has a relationship with her father at all given that he abused her as a child.

User16042025 · 28/09/2025 19:24

AngelicKaty · 28/09/2025 19:19

Personal injury, presumably.

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But everyone is warned of the risk of luggage falling out of the overhead lockers on a flight.. I can't belive it just fell out of it's own accord when it was shut.

bluegreygreen · 28/09/2025 19:24

notimagain · 28/09/2025 19:20

It's a messy area of law but I very strongly suspect the firefighters' understanding is a bit flawed.

TBH if they'd said to the crew that they really needed to do some quick obs on board before moving you then regardless of the law I can't see that the request would be denied...

As much as anything as a case of backside covering by the crew/airline in case of consequences down the road.....
....

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Realistically, doing a 'couple of sets of observations' as OP wanted was simply going to delay matters.
She clearly needed to be taken to hospital, and all the professionals present agreed on that. She was talking and able to walk. Any observations could be taken in the vehicle in transit.

Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 28/09/2025 19:24

UnderstoodBetsy · 28/09/2025 15:33

I am in the US (though not in Florida, fortunately). The crew sound as though they were not very understanding or empathetic. It seems to me the paramedics acted appropriately. I can't imagine which observations they could have done on the plane that would have changed the outcome (i.e., going to the hospital). You clearly needed to be checked out in a hospital.

As for payment, US hospitals generally collect information about health insurance at some point during the admissions process. If you don't have insurance, they will take down that information. They don't demand payment at the door, but you can expect to receive a bill.

In the UK a lot of observations are done in order to transport the patient safely. There certainly doesn't seem to be the same level of care in the US but I think they did want to do BP, SATs, HR, Resps.

OP posts: