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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:
SaratogaFilly · 27/09/2025 11:54

Complain and sue if that is an option as that is shocking treatment! Hope you’re ok Op.

ScupperedbytheSea · 27/09/2025 12:40

Shocking treatment. I wouldn't necessarily jump to suing at this stage, but I would certainly write to the airline, explaining what happened, and asking for compensation. Whatever the US equivalent of a 'letter before action' is.

What airline was it?

Greybeardy · 27/09/2025 12:44

What did your insurance company suggest?

TakeMe2Insanity · 27/09/2025 12:45

This is one of the few times where I would say embrace American culture and sue. This is shocking treatment. Did you contact your travel insurance when you got to hospital?

Liondoesntsleepatnight · 27/09/2025 12:47

That’s terrible, I was treated way better on a flight when I had an injury (not on board). Which airline? Complain

ThreePointOneFourOneFiveNine · 27/09/2025 12:49

TakeMe2Insanity · 27/09/2025 12:45

This is one of the few times where I would say embrace American culture and sue. This is shocking treatment. Did you contact your travel insurance when you got to hospital?

I agree. You may have lasting damage from this. Don’t let them get away with it.

Soontobe60 · 27/09/2025 12:50

The thing to do here is claim off your travel insurance and let them take on any possible litigation.
Im amazed a bag could actually fall on a passengers head if they’re sitting down though as the overhead bins open into the aisle. You must have been very unlucky!

pinkfluffybirds · 27/09/2025 12:53

Wow!! 10000% sue!

Deebee90 · 27/09/2025 13:10

What did your insurance company say? What tests did the us hospital do? They should have done scans there. How did the suitcase fall out , was the locker full and it was pushed in. I’ve had a similar accident but I work for an airline. I’m also surprised they told you about extra pillows etc they can’t provide that as an airline hence why they fobbed you off and said speak to the airport. I hope your CT comes back ok.

grumpygrape · 27/09/2025 13:15

Greybeardy · 27/09/2025 12:44

What did your insurance company suggest?

You have contacted your insurance company haven't you ?

youalright · 27/09/2025 13:16

Its all a bit dramatic your teenagers crying and you insisting on a stretcher and a pillow on the flight im sure it hurt but its hand luggage how heavy could it possibly of been. If they discharged you and let you fly home their not massively concerned.

FlyingUnicornWings · 27/09/2025 13:23

youalright · 27/09/2025 13:16

Its all a bit dramatic your teenagers crying and you insisting on a stretcher and a pillow on the flight im sure it hurt but its hand luggage how heavy could it possibly of been. If they discharged you and let you fly home their not massively concerned.

Depends what was in the bag. If there’s a laptop, water bottle etc in it then potentially very heavy. And caught at an angle, could cause a significant head or neck injury. I don’t think it’s dramatic at all, but probably quite scary and painful.

OP, depending on how you are as a result of the scan, if no lasting damage and thus no threat to your ability to work/earn (assuming you do), or any cost incurred as part of an ongoing disability, I would just complain very formally and expect nothing in response.

If lasting damage etc etc, yes speak to insurance and go from there. You’ll want to re-coup any ongoing costs.

youalright · 27/09/2025 13:27

FlyingUnicornWings · 27/09/2025 13:23

Depends what was in the bag. If there’s a laptop, water bottle etc in it then potentially very heavy. And caught at an angle, could cause a significant head or neck injury. I don’t think it’s dramatic at all, but probably quite scary and painful.

OP, depending on how you are as a result of the scan, if no lasting damage and thus no threat to your ability to work/earn (assuming you do), or any cost incurred as part of an ongoing disability, I would just complain very formally and expect nothing in response.

If lasting damage etc etc, yes speak to insurance and go from there. You’ll want to re-coup any ongoing costs.

Show quote history

But how planes are designed if she was sat down handluggage wouldn't fall straight on your head it might knock it slightly and if she was stood up it wouldn't of been much of a drop

notimagain · 27/09/2025 13:41

youalright · 27/09/2025 13:27

But how planes are designed if she was sat down handluggage wouldn't fall straight on your head it might knock it slightly and if she was stood up it wouldn't of been much of a drop

Edited
Show quote history

Depends on the design of the bins TBH.

On some longhaul types,.some cabins when you open the bin the whole assembly swings down, not just the door, and there's definitely scope for someone in an aisle seat to get clobbered by falling baggage.

Given the blow to the head I can understand the crew wanting the offload, but how it was done and the subsequent handling sounds v poor.

timestressed · 27/09/2025 15:32

IMHO your insurance company should have been involved asap. What did they say?

Barrenfieldoffucks · 27/09/2025 15:36

You asked for observations and a stretcher?

Lifestooshort71 · 27/09/2025 15:40

Come on OP, answer some of the questions so we can better understand what happened....

BusyMum47 · 27/09/2025 15:42

TakeMe2Insanity · 27/09/2025 12:45

This is one of the few times where I would say embrace American culture and sue. This is shocking treatment. Did you contact your travel insurance when you got to hospital?

I agree 100%

Nearly50omg · 27/09/2025 15:42

American airports and staff etc there are awful so yes I would personally carry on and put in as much claims as you can and complaints

notimagain · 27/09/2025 16:10

Based on mulling this over again and looking at my original reponse I think I misjudged slightly. I've been on the other side of the fence on a couple of incidents like this and feel the need to a add few further thoughts..

I still don't think from what is in the OP that the offload was brilliantly done but from the crew POV the OP had suffered a head injury and someone has made a probably highly reasonable decision to offload, and sadly that's not really negotiable..

The emphasis for the crew then starts to become their other passengers, and that means getting the offload done reasonably quickly for multiple reasons...(just one of which is perhaps not screwing up the onwards travel plans of x hundred fellow passengers who might have connecting flights etc).

If the paramedics thought is was safe for the OP to disembark by walking then that's their call..any observations they thought might be needed could be done on the jetway or in the terminal.

Back to the Cabin crew - they normally do the TLC involved in cases like this..., the fact that one of the flight crew (pilots) came back into the cabin, got involved, and actually into a discussion with the OP probably means things weren't going as they should.have been.

Jsokev · 27/09/2025 16:23

Lifestooshort71 · 27/09/2025 15:40

Come on OP, answer some of the questions so we can better understand what happened....

She said she's in A&E, so there may be things happening and maybe she's feeling unwell. Have some patience

callyjayne6 · 27/09/2025 16:44

Honestly, I would probably do nothing.

Purplecatshopaholic · 27/09/2025 16:49

Release your inner irate American and sue their ass! Terrible treatment by the sounds of it, I hope you are feeling better soon.

Trallers · 27/09/2025 16:51

The effects of even a minor concussion have the potential to rumble on for a very long term, especially if not managed well at the start. I would encourage you to make some sort of claim against them tbh as you may find your self impacted in your ability to work/function for a long time. Equally you may bounce back, which would be fantastic, but given no aspect of the incident was your fault I wouldn't wait to find out.

In the mean time sleep, fluids, quiet, no screen time or stress, and fish oils.

helpfulperson · 27/09/2025 16:59

But how is the incident the airlines fault? Passengers put luggage in tge bins themselves. Crew generally don't touch it. The treatment you got at the airport sounds reasonable if a little brusque. It was pretty obvious very quickly you wouldn't be flying so of course they need you, your party and luggage off asap. And your hospital treatment and repatriation is the responsibility of your insurance not the airline.