LAT/AP: Woman dies during flight after being refused help

Woman dies during flight after being refused help

Alan Diaz / Associated Press
American Airlines MD-80 jet sits on the tarmac as fire rescue workers check
the passenger plane at Miami International Airport.

Los Angeles Times
From the Associated Press
February 25, 2008

NEW YORK -- An American Airlines passenger died after a flight attendant
told her he couldn't give her any oxygen and then tried to help her with
faulty equipment, including an empty oxygen tank, a relative said.

The airline confirmed the flight death and said medical professionals had
tried to save the passenger, Carine Desir, who was returning home to
Brooklyn from Haiti.

Desir, who had heart disease, died of natural causes, medical examiner's
office spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said Sunday.

Desir had complained of not feeling well and being very thirsty on the
Friday flight from Port-au-Prince after she ate a meal, according to Antonio
Oliver, a cousin who was traveling with her and her brother Joel Desir. A
flight attendant gave her water, he said.

A few minutes later, Desir said she was having trouble breathing and asked
for oxygen, but a flight attendant twice refused her request, Oliver said
Sunday in a telephone interview.

After the flight attendant refused to administer oxygen to Desir, she became
distressed, pleading, "Don't let me die," Oliver recalled.

Other passengers aboard Flight 896 became agitated over the situation, he
said, and the flight attendant, apparently after phone consultation with the
cockpit, tried to administer oxygen from a portable tank and mask, but the
tank was empty.

Two doctors and two nurses were aboard and tried to administer oxygen from a
second tank, which also was empty, Oliver said.

Desir was put on the floor, and a nurse tried CPR, to no avail, Oliver said.
A "box," possibly a defibrillator, also was applied but didn't function
effectively, he said.

"I cannot believe what is happening on the plane," he said, sobbing. "She
cannot get up, and nothing on the plane works."

Oliver said he then asked for the plane to "land right away so I can get her
to a hospital," and the pilot agreed to divert to Miami, 45 minutes away.
But during that time, Desir died, Oliver said.

"Her last words were, 'I cannot breathe,"' he said.

Desir, 44, was pronounced dead by one of the doctors, Joel Shulkin, and the
flight continued to Kennedy International Airport without stopping in Miami,
with the woman's body moved to the floor of the first-class section and
covered with a blanket, Oliver said.

American Airlines spokeswoman Sonja Whitemon wouldn't comment Sunday on
Oliver's claims of faulty medical equipment. Shulkin, through his attorney,
Justin Nadeau, declined to comment on the incident out of respect for
Desir's family.

American Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp. and based in Fort Worth, Texas, is
the largest domestic airline.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...th25feb25,0,18
77899.story

So whose oxygen was it? Her's or the airlines?


On Mon, 25 Feb 2008 08:49:51 GMT, Sorafon wrote:

Woman dies during flight after being refused help

Alan Diaz / Associated Press
American Airlines MD-80 jet sits on the tarmac as fire rescue workers check
the passenger plane at Miami International Airport.

Los Angeles Times
From the Associated Press
February 25, 2008

NEW YORK -- An American Airlines passenger died after a flight attendant
told her he couldn't give her any oxygen and then tried to help her with
faulty equipment, including an empty oxygen tank, a relative said.

The airline confirmed the flight death and said medical professionals had
tried to save the passenger, Carine Desir, who was returning home to
Brooklyn from Haiti.

Desir, who had heart disease, died of natural causes, medical examiner's
office spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said Sunday.

Desir had complained of not feeling well and being very thirsty on the
Friday flight from Port-au-Prince after she ate a meal, according to Antonio
Oliver, a cousin who was traveling with her and her brother Joel Desir. A
flight attendant gave her water, he said.

A few minutes later, Desir said she was having trouble breathing and asked
for oxygen, but a flight attendant twice refused her request, Oliver said
Sunday in a telephone interview.

After the flight attendant refused to administer oxygen to Desir, she became
distressed, pleading, "Don't let me die," Oliver recalled.

Other passengers aboard Flight 896 became agitated over the situation, he
said, and the flight attendant, apparently after phone consultation with the
cockpit, tried to administer oxygen from a portable tank and mask, but the
tank was empty.

Two doctors and two nurses were aboard and tried to administer oxygen from a
second tank, which also was empty, Oliver said.

Desir was put on the floor, and a nurse tried CPR, to no avail, Oliver said.
A "box," possibly a defibrillator, also was applied but didn't function
effectively, he said.

"I cannot believe what is happening on the plane," he said, sobbing. "She
cannot get up, and nothing on the plane works."

Oliver said he then asked for the plane to "land right away so I can get her
to a hospital," and the pilot agreed to divert to Miami, 45 minutes away.
But during that time, Desir died, Oliver said.

"Her last words were, 'I cannot breathe,"' he said.

Desir, 44, was pronounced dead by one of the doctors, Joel Shulkin, and the
flight continued to Kennedy International Airport without stopping in Miami,
with the woman's body moved to the floor of the first-class section and
covered with a blanket, Oliver said.

American Airlines spokeswoman Sonja Whitemon wouldn't comment Sunday on
Oliver's claims of faulty medical equipment. Shulkin, through his attorney,
Justin Nadeau, declined to comment on the incident out of respect for
Desir's family.

American Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp. and based in Fort Worth, Texas, is
the largest domestic airline.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...th25feb25,0,18
77899.story

(John Kulp) wrote in
:

So whose oxygen was it? Her's or the airlines?

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...flightdeath25f
eb25,0,18 77899.story

The Times Story notes it was the oxygen equipment aboard the plane.


--

Justin Case writes:

The Times Story notes it was the oxygen equipment aboard the plane.

So the oxygen equipment has not been maintained (if two devices were empty).

On Mon, 25 Feb 2008 18:29:29 -0000, Justin Case
wrote:

(John Kulp) wrote in
:

So whose oxygen was it? Her's or the airlines?

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...flightdeath25f
eb25,0,18 77899.story

The Times Story notes it was the oxygen equipment aboard the plane.

That doesn't tell if passengers are allowed by American to bring their
own

On Mon, 25 Feb 2008 20:58:35 +0100, Mxsmanic
wrote:

Justin Case writes:

The Times Story notes it was the oxygen equipment aboard the plane.

So the oxygen equipment has not been maintained (if two devices were empty).

By someone. If someone is going to print a story like this they
should tell the whole story.

(John Kulp) wrote in
:

That doesn't tell if passengers are allowed by American to bring
their own

"The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires that oxygen on
airplanes be dispensed from approved containers available through the
airline only, so you may not use your own." (AA.Com)


--

On 25 Feb 2008 21:14:33 GMT, James Robinson wrote:


There's more to the story than was originally presented by the cousin.

The passenger was diabetic, and had a heart condition.

American says that when the flight attendant was told of the problem, she
went to the senior attendant, and both returned to help the passenger,
after notifying the captain. Both oxygen cylinders they used were working
properly, and that there are twelve cylinders on that type of aircraft to
choose from. They said that when they tried the automatic defibulator, it
told them that the person's pulse was too weak to sense, and would
therefore not fire off.

The flight was about to divert to Miami, but there were a doctor and two
nurses on the aircraft that attended to the passenger, and the doctor
declared the passenger dead, so they continued to New York City instead.

I saw Pauline Frommer on TV tonight. She also said that there were a
number of oxygen cylinders but that the doctor(s?) elected to use the
bag manually to try to get more oxygen in.

She said that the defibrillator detected an adequate pulse so it
didn't defibrillate. I'm not sure if that is true or if didn't detect
any pulse.

I saw some relatives of the deceased on TV and they didn't seem
particularly knowledgeable about medical devices.

Justin Case wrote:

(John Kulp) wrote in
:


That doesn't tell if passengers are allowed by American to bring
their own


"The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires that oxygen on
airplanes be dispensed from approved containers available through the
airline only, so you may not use your own." (AA.Com)



It doesn't matter. The AA oxygen didn't have a problem. It is too bad
people rush into ideas based on the initial reports. The followup
reports show a much different story.

Brian wrote:

On 25 Feb 2008 21:14:33 GMT, James Robinson wrote:



There's more to the story than was originally presented by the cousin.

The passenger was diabetic, and had a heart condition.

American says that when the flight attendant was told of the problem, she
went to the senior attendant, and both returned to help the passenger,
after notifying the captain. Both oxygen cylinders they used were working
properly, and that there are twelve cylinders on that type of aircraft to
choose from. They said that when they tried the automatic defibulator, it
told them that the person's pulse was too weak to sense, and would
therefore not fire off.

The flight was about to divert to Miami, but there were a doctor and two
nurses on the aircraft that attended to the passenger, and the doctor
declared the passenger dead, so they continued to New York City instead.


I saw Pauline Frommer on TV tonight. She also said that there were a
number of oxygen cylinders but that the doctor(s?) elected to use the
bag manually to try to get more oxygen in.

She said that the defibrillator detected an adequate pulse so it
didn't defibrillate. I'm not sure if that is true or if didn't detect
any pulse.

I saw some relatives of the deceased on TV and they didn't seem
particularly knowledgeable about medical devices.

That is true, hence the initial reports and the reason for the subject
line of this thread. There were MULTIPLE doctors and nurses available.
There was nothing wrong with the oxygen, except for the patient and
family believing they knew more about medical treatment than the medical
personnel.