Australian Woman Breaks Silence After Being Left Paralysed From Turbulence On SIA Flight
She can feel "nothing from basically the chest down".
By Sadho Ram — 12 Jun 2024, 03:45 PM
Kerry Jordan has lost the ability to perform basic tasks with her hands, such as feeding herself, brushing her teeth, or changing TV channels
She was among the 229 people aboard Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight SQ321 on 21 May, when the Boeing 777-300ER encountered severe turbulence, resulting in the death of one passenger and dozens injured.
Jordan from Australia and her husband Keith Davis were returning from a "fantastic holiday" in the UK. Now, she's grappling with the possibility of never walking again, reported an Australian news site.
As a result of the turbulence, the 52-year-old has been left paralysed from her chest down.
According to reports, she suffered a break in her spine at the C7-T1 segment, which connects the neck with the upper back, in addition to fractured ribs, a brain bleed, and other fractures to her vertebra.
I think that's the hardest, not being able to feel most of my body.
The 52-year-old is currently recovering in the spinal unit at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
Image via news.com.auAccording to Jordan, she was attempting to fasten her seatbelt after returning from the lavatory when the turbulence struck the flight
"Literally everything just started shaking so much, I could not get to my seatbelt to put it back. All I remember was being up in the air and everything was absolutely silent and then I was on the floor," the dance teacher said, adding that she could only describe the turbulence as "absolutely violent".
Jordan shared she was shocked that it happened within 10 seconds of her attempting to put on her seatbelt.
Davis, her 59-year-old husband, who suffered a shoulder injury and blurred vision, said that his wife had "no reaction" after her body hit the floor of the plane, news.com.au reported via The Advertiser.
"When she hit the ground, she never moved and that was so unnatural, and I was just horrified," he said, adding that it made him wonder if she was dead or alive.
According to Jordan, all she remembers is another passenger saying a "potential spinal injury".
She remained on the floor for the remainder of the flight.
Jordan said she can feel "nothing from basically the chest down"
While she can move her arms, she said that she is not able to use her hands.
"The basic things, obviously of not being able to feed myself, or brush my own teeth, or try and change the channel on the TV, or using my mobile phone is out of the question,"’ she revealed.
The couple is now looking into their legal options for the injuries
This comes as SIA announced that it will be providing compensation to the injured passengers.
"For passengers who sustained minor injuries from the incident, we have offered USD10,000 (approximately RM47,000) in compensation. For those who sustained more serious injuries, we have invited them to discuss a compensation offer to meet each of their specific circumstances when they feel well and ready to do so," read the statement posted on its official Facebook page yesterday, 11 June.
The airline added that passengers who have been medically assessed as having sustained serious injuries will be offered an advance payment of USD25,000 (approximately RM118,000) for their immediate needs.
