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AN ALITALIA FLIGHT from Rome to New York had to be diverted to Shannon after two passengers became ill.
One of the passengers is reported to have died from their illness.
The Irish Aviation Authority confirmed that Alitalia flight AZA610 en route from Rome Fiumicino to New York JFK diverted to Shannon at 4.16pm yesterday due to passenger illness.
The Irish Times reports that the crew declared a May Day after a passenger suffered a heart attack. It says that a passenger aged 80 was pronounced dead at the scene after medics boarded the plane at Shannon.
The second passenger was brought to University Hospital Limerick.
The airline has not yet supplied a comment on the situation.
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I really never understand some people’s ideas about the elderly and flying. It’s not like you have to pedal the plane. You sit there, watch stuff, eat, get up to go to the toilet etc for a few hours. Not much different to an ordinary day for many people.
A person has died, yes. But he/she lived their life right to the end and didn’t think they were to old to do something they enjoyed. Sounds like a life well-lived. RIP.
I was replying to a comment where someone was saying the passenger was to old and shouldn’t have been flying. It was removed while I was replying so now I look slightly foolish.
Dennis, you do not look foolish at all.
Your statement stands up on its own, well said sir.
Agreed Molly. It was well said :)
Flying does stress the body (no “SORE ARMS” jokes necessary). Planes are pressurised but it’s still like standing 10,000 feet up a mountain, it does put extra load on the lungs, heart and circulatory system. If an elderly persons health was marginal, the flight could be enough to tip the balance.
Tragic for the poor persons family that may have been with them. Unusual for 2 people on the same flight to be ill though..
David – was on a short flight from Budapest to Geneva last year – heavy snow in Budapest, waited for take off for the guts of an hour, very bad weather over the alps, plane diverted and flight was 30-40 minutes longer than normal in the air. From the outset there was one passenger a couple of rows behind me running to the toilet non-stop (even prior to take off), he couldnt stop throwing up, this went on and on – however 30 minutes out of Geneva there was a scream from a middle aged woman (aisle seat the row in front of me on the opposite side) – her husband was ‘blue’ – the male flight attendant checked pulse, airway etc, then grabbed the passenger by both shoulders, depositied him on the floor and commenced heart massage………………two people ‘very ill’ on the same flight. Incidentally bucko was no doubt in serious trouble, but alive when we landed and were met by an ambulance.
I didnt say it is impossible to happen, just unusual.
My old man wanted to travel to his sisters funeral in Melbourne and the family had to talk him out of it.
I don’t think the elderly should fly long distance unless its essential.
The elderly are more likely to die than the young, travel distance probably has very little to do with it.
Fat people are just as likely to die in flights
Maggie your lack of any compassion is kind of startling! And that’s from a nurse to a nurse. I know that old people die, everybody is aware but it doesn’t mean that nobody will be upset. Ever hear the phrase “nursing is caring”?
Lisa where did u come up with a lack of compassion from my comment ?? Been a long day at work for you has it
No. It hasn’t been that long particularly. I sensed a lack of compassion from your wording. The whole “fat people” and “oldies”. Maybe disrespectful might have been a better word to use. Then again might have been my perception. A bit like I perceived your “been a long day at work” as sarcastic and passive aggressive.
Sounds like your perception isnt great alright .
This is why I don’t like being a nurse on a flight !!! Not much room in those aisles for CPR either !!!!!
You don’t like being a nurse on a flight?..Its your moral responsibility, its part of your job! I wouldn’t fancy having you looking after my children!
I work with +30 nurses. regardless of the setting, if they were capable of helping anybody in distress, they would take pride in doing it!
Very bad attitude to have with your role!
It’s not part of her job at all… Dealing with that responsibility, having to be alert and awake on her own time to deal with a potential medical emergency, if she had one glass of wine with her dinner onboard she would potentially be liable for negligent situations in a foreign country, acting without medical consent and subject to incident reports and police questioning on behalf of the airline and the deceased’s next of kin and all for zero compensation.
Any nurse or Dr on a flight aren’t worried about the inconvenience of having their flight disrupted they are worried they’ll have to make tough calls with limited resources and no medical history for the patient for which they alone will be held responsible.
Not to mention that’s a huge responsibility to throw on someone for the less than minimum wage we are paying nurse ‘interns’ these days.
Most countries have a good samaritan law that protects people from getting sued/brought to court etc over the actions they have done,So just say someone has an MI in a pub/restaurant and there happens to be a qualified medic who has had some drink consumed.
Yet an ambulance is a good 10 minutes away should the medic just sit there and watch rather than commencing CPR due to the fact they might get sued etc.
So just say a person ends up in court with cracked ribs/sore Sternum after being successfully resuscitated, And wants to sue/press charges against the medic/first aider for the injuries sustained during CPR.
I don’t think the claimant would have a leg to stand on, And I have yet to hear of any cases.
Stupid comment david . Unless youve been in this situation .perfirmed cpr dont patronise nurses . So a nurse is sitting round waiting for something to happen on her days off ??
Stupid comment how is that and how did I prationise the Nursing profession, Maybe I should have mentioned that I am an EMT and having worked in the Aviation industry in a previous life depending on the type of aircraft there can be enough room to perform CPR. and due to this flight been en route to the USA more than likely it is a wide body aircraft with a good bit of room on board.
Meant dave keoghs comnent sorry
Oldies get a embolism s on flights , taking an aspirin,walking and around compression stockings might help. RIP poor man .
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