Virgin suffers crushing blow

When you book your next flight think about this

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_...55E401,00.html

A WOMAN seriously injured after being squashed for 11 hours by a fat passenger sitting next to her on a transatlantic flight has won $39,000 compensation.

Barbara Hewson suffered broken blood vessels in her left breast and hand, torn leg muscles and sciatic nerve damage as she lay helplessly pinned down by the 140kg American woman.

The woman was so fat that her arm and leg spilled over on to petite Mrs Hewson's body during the 8500km Virgin Atlantic flight from London to Los Angeles.

She could not fasten her seatbelt during turbulence because it was trapped beneath their bodies and the pressure of the buckle tore muscles in her buttock.

Despite Mrs Hewson's complaints airline staff said the plane was full and they were unable to give her another seat. On arrival in Los Angeles, the 61-year-old freelance writer from Killay, Swansea, had to be taken to hospital, where she was given painkillers.

Almost two years after the flight, 1.5m Mrs Hewson is still in constant pain and walks with a stick.

"It was horrific," she recalled. "This woman was so enormous that she was literally sitting on top of me.

"Her left leg was pressing down on my right leg and her arm was across my chest, pinning me down.

"To add insult to injury, about halfway into the flight we discovered that her husband was sitting directly behind her.

"He clearly knew better than to sit next to his own wife." Mrs Hewson spent a month bedridden and says the experience has left her mentally scarred. "I used to be a feisty, enthusiastic person and loved travelling, but it has taken the stuffing out of me," she said.

Virgin Atlantic initially offered her a basket of tinned goods as compensation.

After a long wrangle, the sum was finally increased to $39,000, which she accepted on legal advice.

An airline spokesman said: "This was an unprecedented set of extremely unfortunate circumstances."

Edit: OMG like w00t would u do if this fat person was sittin on top off you in a 11houer no stop flight?




:confused:

ow...i'd scream at the lady to get her own row, and i'd hope that people with extreme ahem...horizontal deficiency...plan ahead to maximize other peoples comfort too.

thats terrible...terribly funny in a sick terrible way though.

Yeah but it seems like the person had planned ahead by booking her hosband on a seat behind hers, to save the extra charge for 3 seats! :eek: Saving money by crushing a stranger :eek:

Edit: it also seems that the victim pleeded for another seet but the flight was full and it wasnt posible to get another seet!

Almost two years after the flight, 1.5m Mrs Hewson is still in constant pain and walks with a stick.

Jesus!

That 39k is more of a "you shut up" settelment if she did take it to court she could have gotten more, not that im all up for every one sueing every one just that 39k is kinda ****ty for two years of pain. I have a inflamed Sciatic nerve for the past 4 weeks, and i tell you if i had to go though another 2 years of this pain that some one caused me i would either sue the heck out of them or beat the living hell out of them.

Wow, her lawyer must be terrible. You can get 30 million for spilling coffee on yourself; but, after being crushed by fat for 11 hours, you get some tinned goods.

Actually, people have been sued (unsuccessfully because of countersuits) for 6 figures after sending a card saying "I hope you get well soon.. because these cards are expensive".


Always fly first class!

did she eat both cosher meals too?:p

Is it Northwest that makes fat people buy two seats? I'm only gonna fly them.

Normally I'm fairly quiet, but if this happened to me, I'd be causing a lot more fuss.

Hmmm..... wonder if there's a seat belt in the toilet? Maybe if all the people on the flight couldn't go to the toilet, they'd somehow find me another seat? :D

i'd not sit there and demand that a member of the flight staff that 'couldn't' find me a seat sit under the woman.