WWYD? Concussion after suitcase fell on my head!

[UndertheCedartree]

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?

Wow i heard BA had deteriorated but this is pretty extreme

You are right thank you

For safety. Why do you think paramedics always do observations before transporting someone?

I'm sorry OP but I don't think it would have made any difference to them if you had obs inside or out of the plane. Unless it was a real emergency. The best thing all round was to get you off that plane.

@UndertheCedartree please put your screen/phone/iPad/whatever it is you’re using DOWN.

Constantly reading your thread and replying whilst straining your eyes on the screen isn’t going to help OP. I know you need advice but the most important thing right now is your health. If you keep going in an out of dizzy-dos and feeling nauseous then you need to rest. No screens. Keep hydrated.

You can come back to the thread to take all the advice and suggestions on board when you are feeling much better and will be able to concentrate more.

Have you been in the same situation in the UK (being injured while on a plane prior to takeoff)? If not, I don't think you can really say that it would be handled differently in the UK. In any case, you clearly needed to go to the hospital as a matter of urgency.

Head injury needs a CT scan though. Obs aren't going to tell anyone anything useful. Remember Natasha Richardson's sad story? She refused to be taken to hospital as she felt fine.

Dreadful. Wish you well. x

With head injuries though observations need to be made over time and I can see why they wouldn’t want to hold the plane up and take you off - that bit I think was absolutely fine

you can claim but remember damages is quite often for loss as well what financial loss you have encountered

definitely complain though

Did you get the CT scan in the hosp in America, or here?
I only ask as you have just said you signed consent for the CT scan at the American hosp but earlier said you were in A&E here waiting on the results of a CT here.

I believe your empathy is misplaced 🤥 🤥 🤥

There is a woman called Sarah Ban Breathnnach that this exact same to f happened to. She is an author and written about it and the effect of it on her life. I am sorry I am no help other than that but it may help you feel less alone

You can’t have cabin bags weighing 23kg. That’s the limit for cases in the hold, i.e. checked in. This all sounds odd.

I've been in the situation where we called an ambulance (UK) to an elderly lady who had fallen, and banged her forehead against a corner as she got up in the middle of a talk she was at.

If she tried to even sit up, went dizzy and lost consciousness.

The paramedics arrived and straight away got her into a private room so they could do observations without 199 people watching.
She had broken her nose and had concussion bad enough to keep her in for five days.

She was very sweet and when she wasn't going dizzy kept trying to tell them she was absolutely fine and if she could just get a bus home... Her son (when eventually I'd persuaded her that he really would want to know) came flying down to check she was okay. It was very lovely, and they were totally confident that the paramedics had done all they could.

So, yes, I think they would have got Op away from everyone else.

My sister works in cabin crew, passengers storing their luggage is THEIR responsibility and they are discouraged to help passengers with luggage. If someone is unable to put up their own luggage, it gets taken down to hold. So I'm not sure what you would be able to sue for.

Why did they need to the obs maybe if you were so out of it and confused like you say you were,the paramedics thought you needed hospital NOW! And didn't want to waste time.

What really happened to make the pilot threaten the police? Seriously that's not an everyday occurrence is it. Maybe you being very confused, your teenage kids crying and the whole commotion meant they wanted you off the plane as soon as they could not laying on a stretcher getting your obs done on an aeroplane. The obs weren't going to pick up a head injury that may have deteriorated 10000 miles up in the sky and only a Dr can make a fit to fly declaration.

It doesn't sound weird at all - we have those in one of our local A&Es too. 😊
OP, I don't understand why you're so obsessed with the fact that the fire fighters/paramedics weren't allowed to do observations on the plane. What practical difference did it make? They got you off the plane and into the Emergency Room at HCA faster, and HCA did a CT scan which was far more useful in determining if you'd suffered any lasting damage - and plainly you haven't because you've subsequently been assessed by a UK A&E (including another CT scan), been discharged with appropriate advice and are able to spend most of the last two days using a screen.
Your main concerns now should be establishing if your travel insurance covers the US medical costs you've incurred (did your father get through to your insurer?) and writing a complaint to BA if you want to. You might consider suing them later, but if I were you I would wait for the outcome of your complaint because from the information you've given us, it seems to me that BA would be able to defend the action they took in getting you medical assistance promptly.

They do observations before moving someone when they suspect the patient has a broken neck/spine and so moving them would increase the risk/severity of possible paralysis. But if one of the tests they were asking you to do was standing up with your eyes closed, they clearly didn’t think that applied here, and there was no reason you shouldn’t have been wheeled off the plane. I think you’re getting hung up on something that really wouldn’t have made any difference.

I don’t care 🤥🤥😶

You absolutely can for BA.

I’d definitely complain and sue the airline, they treated you absolutely appallingly OP! I’m sorry all this happened to you and I really hope you get well soon! Don’t let them get away with it, they should have looked after you!

The airline got her medical assistance immediately, she got taken to the airport hospital, she got CT scan at the hospital airport, where they deemed her fit to fly and BA booked her, and her children, on the next available flight free of charge. All without seeing any insurance documents. What else could they have done?

Unacceptable behaviour and responses from all of the agencies involved. Definitely make a claim not just for injury but for their negligence and your stress. Also name and shame as long as it doesn't affect your claim.

OP, please don't worry about things unnecessarily now.

Concussion is a serious injury, in spite of what others say. I had a bad concussion a decade ago and it gave me terrible post concussion syndrome for 6 months after I didn't take enought care of myself. It's imperative to be able to rest properly, limit screen use, then gradually get back into physical and mentally active things without overwhelming your brain.

The concussion will heal with time and gradually getting on with things, but it's not helpful to overstress, get too anxious or not rest from screens etc enough

My poor brain couldn't recover well as I overdid it and any post injury inflammation wasn't able to get better as quickly. Please take care of yourself as others have said, then come back to the thread.