A British woman has been left paralysed from the waist down after being catapulted into the overhead lockers during extreme turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight. The incident occurred as the Boeing 777 was flying from London to Singapore.
Dance teacher Kerry Jordan, originally from Appledore in Devon, suffered a “life-changing injury” during the turbulent flight.
Jordan was on her way home to Adelaide, Australia, with her husband Keith Davis after a holiday in the UK.
She is currently recovering at Bangkok’s Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, where she is expected to remain for several weeks following emergency surgery.
Davis, 59, described the traumatic event, saying: “As the plane suddenly dropped altitude, she was thrown from her seat into an overhead locker and landed in the aisle where she remained until the flight diverted to Bangkok.”
He added: “She had emergency surgery as soon as we were admitted and it remains that she has no sensation from the waist down, so it’s pretty life-changing.”
The severe turbulence, which hit the flight over the Andaman Sea, resulted in 104 passengers and crew members being injured, with 20 remaining in intensive care. Tragically, a 73-year-old British man died due to the incident.
The turbulence caused the aircraft to descend 6,000 feet in about three minutes, prompting an emergency diversion to Thailand.
Dr Adinun Kittiratanapaibool, director of Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, said at a news conference that none of the 20 patients in ICU were in life-threatening condition. The injured included six Britons, six Malaysians, three Australians, two Singaporeans, and one person each from Hong Kong, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
Passengers recounted the “sheer terror” as the aircraft shuddered, with loose items flying and injured people lying paralysed on the floor of the plane. Hospital reports indicate that among the 41 people still admitted, 22 had spinal or spinal cord injuries, six had skull or brain injuries, and 13 suffered damage to bones or internal organs. The injured passengers ranged in age from 2 to 83 years old.
A public relations officer for the hospital mentioned that other local hospitals have been asked to lend their best specialists to assist in the treatments. The exact cause of the turbulence remains unclear, and investigations are ongoing.