AIBU to be annoyed with the parents on RyanAir flight today

[catgirl1976]

Flew home from holiday today.

A family got on with a small child screaming. Not a problem - small children do this and I was initially full of sympathy for the parents as we’ve all been there.

Small child (not a baby but not quite a toddler) continues to howl (really, really badly)and just as we are about to get ready to take off a call comes out asking if there is a doctor or nurse on board. Couple of people come forward and it’s clear there’s an issue with the child.

Further transpired it’s fallen on the shuttle bus and really hurt it’s arm. A retired nurse, a midwife and a third year medical student all look and feel it could be broken. All advise the parents should leave the plane as the pressure could make it more painful, risk of blood clots and any turbulence could result in child being further injured. Parents dither. Child is screaming and clearly distressed.

Cabin crew then say the Captain advises they leave the flight and get the child checked as there are no medical staff on board and also mention the air pressure making things worse etc. Parents dither. Parents are advised there is a later flight today to the destination and as it is a medical issue they can get that one instead for no extra cost. Further dithering.

Paramedics are then called and advise all the same things. Parents dither further. Then (after delaying flight for everyone) decide to stay in flight against all advise and sign a disclaimer.

AIBU to think if five medical people and an airline pilot have advised you leave a flight and get your child checked out and there is a possibility of a broken bone and further damage or pin being caused by air pressure and turbulence you don’t stay on the plane whilst your child screams in agony, delay a flight and then decide you’ll just chance it and see how they are?

Rant over....but the poor thing sounded in agony and clearly needed to be checked properly IMO

@Lovemenorca God yes. Someone was offloaded on a flight I was on once and it took about 2 and half hours by the time everything was off a and we'd missed our slot I guess.

They may have been afraid that they would be trapped in a foreign country if they got off the plane. They may not have had travel Insurance, anywhere to stay, any knowledge of the medical emergency system, access to funds, sufficient fluency in the language etc etc.

They probably thought if their child could tolerate the pain for a couple of hours - and small children can be very resilient - they would be able to get home and seek medical help then.

I don't blame them for making that call. I've been medically repatriated. It's scary and you do feel abandoned. And I had good Insurance.

The dithering sounds annoying but I think flying the child home sounds a reasonable choice. And one I think I would have made tbh.

A two hour flight isn't that long, I'd have probably done the same as the parents and administered pain killers and got home. In fairness everyone was speculating about broken bones and unless it was a very obvious break that risked loss of circulation or nerve damage a few hours wait to get to home turf was probably worth it.

I have to two small children, one would scream blue murder over a tiny graze, the other would shrug off a broken leg.

I would have stayed on the plane and then gone to a&e as soon as we landed. I’m sure the parents had pain relief to give the child. I don’t know anyone who travels with a child that doesn’t carry a little medical kit with calpol, antiseptic wipes, plasters etc.

The dithering may have been annoying but less annoying than the couple being taken off. I was on a plane once where a passenger felt unwell so were taken off, just before take-off. It delayed us by almost 3 hours.

I don't know what I would have done. But the fact the captain let the parents make the decision sounds as if it was not a clear decision one way.

Was this flight within the EU? Insurance or not, EU citizens can avail of public health care in other EU countries, especially if you have an EHIC card (used to be E111).

Parents & child should have been disembarked from flight and transported to medical centre for proper medical treatment.

Couldn't have been a serious break (if paramedics weren't able to confirm)

I think in the same situation, I'd have stayed on the flight. I would have been decisive about though.

All this ‘language barrier’stuff is nonsense the medical staff speak English. I have been in hospital with my father in
Majorca and the doctor was German, her English was impeccable. He was rehydrated and released, even with an EHIC it cost £1,500 for a two night stay.

The care you get abroad is excellent as it’s private and you pay for it. My colleagues husband had been in the NHS system for two years and took il abroad, they scanned him straight away, knew what was wrong and operated within 2 hours of hi arriving at A&E.? He’d been to A&E twice in the uk and they were waiting for referrals for scans etc...his surgeon here says the operation was done excellently and again the language barrier was not a problem as the dr spoke English.

I think they should have listened to advice for 3 medically trained people and paramedics, don’t sick about if kids are ill.

I would have flown home. It would have taken way more than the three hours coming back to England to offload everything and leave airport and get taxi. A hospital could have potentially been a few hours drive anyway depending. I always fly with calpol and neurofen anyway. I’m sure a medical person on the flight would have said if the bone was poking out.

All this ‘language barrier’stuff is nonsense the medical staff speak English.

Not true. Some medical staff speak English, many do not. Friends in Spain say doctors who can speak English are reluctant to do so. I don't blame them actually, they are not unreasonable to want to make a medical diagnosis in their own language given that they will take the rap if an error is made due to miscommunication.

How was the child during the flight home?

It may have been money issues for the parents. I am more annoyed with those with medial experience and the staff that did not force them off the plane. Surely top priority is to help the child. A broken bone must be excruciating for an adult so it will be way worse for a child.

I can see the dithering must have been very annoying for the other passengers. FWIW, my DS fell heavily off a climbing frame when he was two. No-one could decide if he'd actually broken his arm. He didn't have an x Ray till the following day. It turned out to be a greenstick fracture, so they put it in a sling. Which he soon found he could remove. He was fine in no time.

I think they made the right call but I would have made it sooner.

Not always true about medical staff speaking English. When I broke my leg in France nobody spoke English to me.

Was
Just talking to DH about it and he heard a bit more than me (mainly because I was dealing with DS asking “why is the baby crying” “why don’t they take him to a doctor” x a million)

The child didn’t fall in the shuttle bus it was apparently having a tantrum and writhing around on the floor and the mum grabbed it by the arm and it’s arm went the wrong way. It wasn’t the parents who asked for medical assistance it was another passenger who had seen this and was concerned.

DH also heard the woman say “I just want to stay in my seat really” at one point whilst being advised to seek. Medical help.

They really didn’t seem concerned about the child and were just so vague and offhand about it all. It was odd.

DH also heard the concerned woman asking to be out through to the nurses desk at an a and e when we touched down so looked like she was following it up to make sure the child got seen

I think I’d have dosed child up with paracetamol and continued with flight - get child seen to at home.

Probably a pulled elbow rather than a gravy from the story but really painful till relocated. Hopefully all sorted now!

Aargh autocorrect changed fracture to gravy!

I think I would want to get them home and to a British surgery to be honest

Horrible scenario but I can see their rationale

Last flight I went on there was a lady spending the whole flight puking in the toilet.
It started before take off so really don’t know why she was allowed on the flight.

Yikes
Poor kid, mum yanks his arm then ignores the help,

YANBU to be annoyed

Now i know what happened I’m really concerned especially given how blasé they were. 😩