Everyone who’s flown has probably wondered what they would do in case of an emergency. You’re trapped thousands of feet in the air with a bunch of strangers. Anything could happen. How would you react in the event of a dire emergency?
One woman says she witnessed a fellow traveler on a flight have an appalling reaction to what turned out to be a fatal medical event.
Creator @greeneyedworld_ recently shared the disturbing tale on TikTok. The actions of her fellow traveler have people decrying his “lack of humanity.”
What happened on this flight?
“Someone died on my flight last night,” the creator begins in a post with nearly 86,000 views as of this writing. Continuing, she says the pilot had just informed them they were 15 minutes from landing when he abruptly came over the intercom to ask any medical personnel onboard to press their call buttons to notify in-flight personnel.
The woman in front of her pressed the button, @greeneyedworld says, but remained seated.
Then a man across from her piped up, “”Oh my gosh, they’re doing CPR on the girl in the middle of this aisle,'” she recalls.
She says she scooted over to get a look. The man, meanwhile, did something she found shocking.
“The guy across the aisle from me takes out his phone and starts trying to record,” she says.
The TikToker was appalled.
“Luckily the flight attendant caught wind of it and ran in front of him and was like, ‘Do not do that, sir. Have some respect, please,'” she says.
The man, she recounts, did not get the message.
“Once they took her out on the gurney, he went out his window and then started filming her,” she says with apparent disgust.
Then she shows a brief clip of the man in question appearing to take a photo out the window of his seat on the plane.
The TikToker did not respond to an inquiry sent via TikTok direct message.
What should you do if there’s an in-flight medical emergency?
In-flight medical emergencies are exceedingly uncommon. But it does happen.
Common causes, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are nausea, loss of consciousness, and respiratory distress.
In the event that you or someone near you on a flight has a medical emergency, you should immediately inform the flight crew, either by pressing the call button or getting their attention. Time may be of the essence, so expedience is best. That said, you should also try to refrain from unnecessarily alarming other passengers, as this can hinder response.
The flight crew should then come to the aid of the ailing passenger by bringing supplies and, as happened on greeneyedworld’s flight, asking for medical personnel to assist. Inform whoever is providing care of the nature of the emergency. Depending on the situation, your plane may have supplies to address it.
Per Federal Aviation Authority guidelines, commercial airliners are required to carry a range of common emergency medical supplies and equipment. This includes items like antihistamines, syringes, a defibrillator, nitroglycerine, lidocaine, and a first aid kit, among other supplies.
Respect fellow travelers during in-flight medical events
One thing that resonated most with the TikToker’s account of the death on her flight is her fellow passenger’s callousness. People almost universally agree that under no circumstances should you film a stranger during a medical emergency on a flight.
“Do people not have respect. We live in a dystopian novel,” Emma wrote.
User Genevieve Marie agreed, writing, “People have zero respect or decorum these days. Was just at a concert where a young girl passed out and everyone whipped out their phones to record. Like, why?”
Others opined that the man’s behavior proves people have become desensitized, urged people to identify him, and suggested he was hoping for internet clout.
There were a few who saw the potential value in filming an in-flight medical emergency, however. They believe it could potentially be useful medically or legally.
“I agree it feels off putting and inappropriate but I also see the value in documenting tragic incidents you never know if that could come in helpful for her family, the airlines, her medical team, or the police,” one wrote.
Most people disagree, including greeneyedworld. “She was naked having CPR being done to her, I don’t think she or her family would want that online,” she wrote.
@greeneyedworld_ #greenscreenvideo ♬ original sound – greeneyedworld
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