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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:
UndertheCedartree · 28/09/2025 19:20

MrsWhites · 28/09/2025 15:26

Let’s be honest, if you can arrange a Lyft to get yourself from the hospital to a hotel, from the hotel to an airport, get through a UK airport, from the airport to a UK hospital and to post several times on Facebook groups as well as mumsnet - you can either access your digital travel insurance or ask someone else to get the details from the suitcase where the OP claims they are.

The OP is acting like it’s new information to her that she may need travel insurance in this case yet there is no way a US hospital didn’t ask a UK national if they have insurance and several people have advised her to do so via the Facebook posts and on here!

It's not new information! I have travel insurance! I didn't really do most of those things though. I was in a wheelchair pretty out of it most of the time. And I never said they were in a suitcase. They were in my backpack.

OP posts:
notimagain · 28/09/2025 19:20

UndertheCedartree · 28/09/2025 19:01

I did think that. I don't know why they didn't insist. I wasn't expected to walk off but use a wheelchair. The firefighters told me on a BA flight on the aeroplane it is like being in the UK and thry can't insist on doing obs etc. Doesn't sound right to me but is what they said.

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.....
....

AngelicKaty · 28/09/2025 19:19

User16042025 · 28/09/2025 19:14

You haven't answered about your CT scan results? Your posts all seem very mixed up and hard to follow, your original post very dramatic (the stretcher, demanding observations on the plane- I dont think it would make any difference if obs were done on or off the plane??), what exactly would you be sueing for?

Personal injury, presumably.

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.

UndertheCedartree · 28/09/2025 19:17

UnderstoodBetsy · 28/09/2025 15:24

I would imagine the PP was trying to suggest that they are all teenagers, including the OP, implying a certain immaturity in the OP's responses.

Or the PP just got it wrong! 😅

I have autism which I think might make me seem immature.

OP posts:
UndertheCedartree · 28/09/2025 19:15

SeptemberNCing · 28/09/2025 15:19

I suspect so. Everything is done electronically these days and it’s highly unlikely she only has a paper copy of travel insurance which just happens to be in a suitcase she doesn’t have with no email copy on her phone.

I do have insurance, I may be stupid but not that stupid. I just knew I had it printed out in my passport wallet. Yes of course I have it electronically but I've been a bit confused due to the concussion! My dad is dealing with it for me now.

OP posts:
User16042025 · 28/09/2025 19:14

You haven't answered about your CT scan results? Your posts all seem very mixed up and hard to follow, your original post very dramatic (the stretcher, demanding observations on the plane- I dont think it would make any difference if obs were done on or off the plane??), what exactly would you be sueing for?

Linenpickle · 28/09/2025 19:12

American hospitals are typically a billion times better than the nhs so maybe you’re at a walk in centre.

brunettemic · 28/09/2025 19:11

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Deebee90 · 28/09/2025 19:10

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Deebee90 · 28/09/2025 19:09

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UndertheCedartree · 28/09/2025 19:08

CurlyhairedAssassin · 28/09/2025 15:04

OP, I think I remember from your other posts ther you have some mental health issues. Were you mentally well when you got on the plane? Did you have travel insurance which covered you for those pre-existing conditions?

Did the US hospital know that you left the building or did you just leave at 1am like your Lyft screenshot suggests, without them knowing?

are you worried about being able to pay the hospital bill if your insurance didn’t cover it?

Yes, I was mentally well and yes I had insurance covering everything.

I left when I was discharged. Why wouldn't my insurance cover it?

OP posts:
shuggles · 28/09/2025 19:07

@UndertheCedartree As someone who was a victim of corporate irresponsibility in the past (but sadly couldn't sue solely because of a technicality), I think you should sue the airline, OP.

The responsibility of a service provider is to keep you safe. If they can't be fucked to ensure the overhead lockers are functioning correctly, then they should be held accountable for that.

A lot of people think those that suing is somehow immoral, or wrong. Those people are sluts for corporations, who think that big businesses couldn't possibly do anything wrong and should be defended at all costs. They are the same type of people who defend their employer whenever someone says anything bad about them, when their employer wouldn't even give a shit if they died. Those people are to be ignored.

pugnaciouspixie · 28/09/2025 19:04

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Bikergran · 28/09/2025 19:04

Complain and sue. Which airline was it?

shuggles · 28/09/2025 19:04

@youalright how heavy could it possibly of been.

I find it a bit ridiculous that you're trying to insist OP couldn't have possibly taken a heavy hit, when OP's typing is a lot clearer than yours. You just wrote "possibly of been" which doesn't even make any sense.

UndertheCedartree · 28/09/2025 19:03

CleanShirt · 28/09/2025 15:03

Ab ambulance in the States costs at least $8/900

Oh no! But my insurance will cover it I assume

OP posts:
UndertheCedartree · 28/09/2025 19:01

notimagain · 28/09/2025 15:00

The crew dont make any medical decisions they have to ring through to a company who make the final decision.

Sort of, but in flight the flight crew wouldn't be expected to comply with medical opinion if it conflicted with flight safety (and TBH the on the ground medics that work in this field know that and so usually only offer up recommendations, they don't make the decision).

That said certainly in circumstances described by the OP (States, on the ground, doors open,) the captain isn't in a position or have the authority to tell/order the local paramedics to make a passenger with an injury walk off...if the paramedics really thought a stretcher was absolutely essential for the OP's health they could have insisted on it...

Edited

I did think that. I don't know why they didn't insist. I wasn't expected to walk off but use a wheelchair. The firefighters told me on a BA flight on the aeroplane it is like being in the UK and thry can't insist on doing obs etc. Doesn't sound right to me but is what they said.

OP posts:
notimagain · 28/09/2025 19:00

UndertheCedartree · 28/09/2025 18:44

It doesn't take long to do a couple of sets of obs. Definitely less time than all the 'hoo ha' the pilot caused.

Can I ask why you were insistent on obs on board?

If you were complaining of a blow to the head and possible concussion you weren't going to be travelling, regardless of what they did or didn't reveal.

SimoneHere · 28/09/2025 18:55

@UndertheCedartree I am sure the hospital will have advised you to stay away from screens from a few days. If you are still feeling bad it might be an idea to step away, rather than trying to defend against all the veiled accusations? You can always start a new thread in legal when you are feeling better.

I hope you feel better soon.

UndertheCedartree · 28/09/2025 18:55

RandomGeocache · 28/09/2025 14:57

This is all very odd.

If as the OP says she is not out of pocket - her flights were rearranged at no cost, she was not charged for her hospital stay - what is the point of contacting her insurer? They won't care as there is no financial loss. Assuming that is that she bothered to get insurance...

I got comprehensive insurance considering I was going to America. I am guessing a hospital/ambulance bill may come I honestly don't know. I had to pay for a hotel but they were very nice and gave me a discount. BA did put us on the next flight for free.

OP posts:
WLnamechange · 28/09/2025 18:52

Do you understand that the pilot did the right thing as you needed to be declared fit to fly by a doctor not a paramedic?

UndertheCedartree · 28/09/2025 18:51

SeptemberNCing · 28/09/2025 14:56

Yes it was obvious she wanted an upgrade to be more comfortable which is why it’s confusing or even worse worrying that she’s gone from being coherent enough to post all over FB and write a clear OP to being confused and unable to communicate properly as the thread develops.

I seem to be going in and out of coherence. I feel fine at times and then awful again.

OP posts:
UndertheCedartree · 28/09/2025 18:49

FrankWelker · 28/09/2025 14:53

This has been posted a couple of times on Facebook. Have those posts been removed? Essentially the same response- why haven’t you phoned your insurer rather than posting on social media.

Because I'm an idiot! Never had to do anything like this before. But my dad is sorting it now thank goodness.

OP posts:
LIZS · 28/09/2025 18:49

But given your dazed state (demonstrated by how seriously your UK hospital appears to have taken it two days later) you needed more than a few obs. There was no way the pilot would take responsibility for flying you back at that point and had to offload you for further assessment and clearance to travel.