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File photo of a brown recluse spider

Man to sue airline after flesh-eating spider bite caused his leg to 'burst open'

Jonathon Hogg was on a flight to South Africa with Qatar Airways when the incident occurred.

AN ENGLISH MAN is suing airline Qatar Airways after allegedly suffering a flesh-eating spider bite on one of their flights which caused his leg to ‘burst open’.

Jonathon Hogg, a commercial lawyer from London, says he was flying to South Africa from Doha when he felt a sharp pain in his leg and saw a spider scuttling across the floor.

Within days the 40-year-old’s leg resembled “something from a horror film” according to a statement from his lawyers Slater and Gordon, via whom he is suing the airline.

“The pain was like nothing I’ve been through in my life,” Hogg said.

By the time I got to hospital my leg was bursting open, there was pus, it was black. It was a right mess. They told me if I had been any later I would have lost my leg or even died. It was terrifying.

The bite was allegedly delivered by a deadly brown recluse spider during the ten-hour flight on 7 June.

The trip to South Africa was to have seen Hogg, a keen sportsman, embarking on a dream project diving with sharks.

Venom

Upon arriving in South Africa Hogg’s leg began to swell badly, to such an extent that he sought advice as to what was happening.

Those he asked told him to seek medical attention immediately as it looked like he had sustained a spider bite.

hogg Jonathon Hogg Slater and Gordon Slater and Gordon

He was rushed into surgery where he underwent the first of three operations to save his leg. Subsequently he was told he would have lost his leg, and possibly his life, if he had waited any longer.

Doctors cut away a large area of his leg which had been infected with necrotic venom.

“I knew something was wrong but I had no idea how bad it was until I spoke with the surgeon. When he told me how close I had come to losing my leg I was stunned,” Hogg said.

It really hit home when they removed the bandages and I saw what was left of my leg – it resembled something from a horror film. They had been forced to cut away so much, I was devastated.
However when I realised the extent of my injuries I also realised I was just lucky to still have my leg – even if the sight of it shocked me.

Fear of flying

Hogg spent a month in hospital and underwent a skin graft before he was finally allowed return home. However, further complications ensued.

“When I returned home I was still having problems and went to see a specialist who told me the skin graft hadn’t worked so I would need another operation,” he said.

I’m now waiting to see if it takes.
I now have a real fear of flying and I am in therapy to try and overcome it. The whole thing has been a nightmare.

Richard Duxbury, a lawyer from Slater and Gordon, said that Hogg had suffered “a harrowing experience”.

“Airlines have a responsibility to protect passengers from dangerous potential pests by properly fumigating all planes. We will now be investigating Mr Hogg’s claim to determine if there has been any wrongdoing by the airline,” Duxbury said.

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31 Comments
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    Mute Paul Roche
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    May 12th 2014, 8:45 PM

    The bigger they are, the slower they pay.

    148
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    Mute The Hooded Biscuit
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    May 12th 2014, 11:52 PM

    So true, got to the stage with my business where I have refused work from some large businesses who think I should be grateful, not worth it for the pain of constant chasing and chasing.

    22
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    Mute Ian Mac Eochagáin
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    May 12th 2014, 9:18 PM

    “Payment managers”? Intrum Justitia are debt collectors who use underhand methods (anonymous voicemail messages and hand-delivered notes) to chase up debtors. If everyone started paying their bills on time Intrum would go out of business.

    That’s not exactly true about Finland. Well, maybe the stats are, because people are more disciplined. Here if you forget to pay a bill (which has happened to me once or twice) it takes them a week or two to notice and then they send you a reminder.

    57
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    Mute Jimbo
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    May 12th 2014, 8:33 PM

    Well that sucks balls.

    51
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    Mute Noble Gas
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    May 12th 2014, 8:50 PM

    We pay after 65 days – contracts says 30. Drives the Germans and French suppliers banana’s

    40
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    Mute Crocodylus Pontifex
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    May 12th 2014, 9:04 PM

    Not as bananas as that unnecessary apostrophe is driving me.

    76
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    Mute Joseph Siddall
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    May 12th 2014, 9:14 PM

    Noble Gas, …..and you’re proud of that fact ? Suppose your company don’t expect it’s customer to honour payment terms so they can take the p1ss as well. Pathetic excuse for management.

    56
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    Mute Kevin Higgins
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    May 12th 2014, 8:45 PM

    Jobs jobs jobs, FG can’t even do that right and it’s all they do. Skew figures

    39
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    Mute Gaucho Doyle
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    May 12th 2014, 10:21 PM

    Getting paid business to business in sixty days would be good in Ireland. It’s more like 90 to 120, you ask some campanys to pay you after 30 days and they look at you like you have two heads and then come up with any accounting excuse not to pay you. ‘Oh we won’t be doing a cheque run till the end of the month’, ‘One of the directors is away at the moment, so we won’t be able to issue a cheque till he’s back’ bla bla bla Then why do you order these goods and services!!!!!!!!!

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    Mute Happy Go Lucky
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    May 12th 2014, 10:45 PM

    You forgot the cheque is in the post…

    18
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    Mute blah!
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    May 12th 2014, 9:07 PM

    Ok maybe I’m missing something, the article, in paragraph two, refers to “unpaid bills”, then further on states that for business to business, payments are made around 29 days with 14 days the norm for public sector payments. Prompt payment legislation, as far as I know, requires payment to be made within 30 days from receipt of invoice. These are not “unpaid bills” or “late or non-payment of debt”. Maybe 30 days is too long in our digital age but at least call it what it is. On time, legislatively compliant payments. Or perhaps the problem is elsewhere, lack of credit to cover the 30 day period. That would be the banks again….

    33
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    Mute Dave Mac
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    May 12th 2014, 9:48 PM

    Intrum justicas sales manager!!

    He just let slip that you don’t have to pay them!

    Idiot!

    26
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    Mute Simon O'Keeffe
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    May 12th 2014, 9:34 PM

    Doh! What do they think jobsbridge was created for.

    17
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    Mute Patrick Linehan
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    May 12th 2014, 10:47 PM

    It’s called the Tragic Roundabout. I can’t pay A because I haven’t been paid by B who’s owed money by C.

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    Mute Lisa Saputo
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    May 12th 2014, 11:55 PM

    Are debt collectors called payment managers now?

    13
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    Mute Christopher O Callaghan
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    May 18th 2014, 1:16 AM

    Payment managers/credit controllers/credit management advisors etc

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    Mute Christopher O Callaghan
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    May 18th 2014, 1:16 AM

    Payment managers/credit controllers/credit management advisors etc

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    Mute GATHERINGYOURMONEY14
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    May 12th 2014, 11:38 PM

    The bust shmall chounthry ta doo bwisnish in.
    Because you don’t have to pay your suppliers.

    8
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