Woman Dies At the Airport.

[disykat]

I don't get how people are assuming she was mistreated. It sounds to me like she needed to be subdued, not allowed to fly, and detained. It doesn't really matter IMO what the reason was - she was a danger to herself and others at that point.

It really makes me wonder what kind of "supervision" the airlines are expected to provide for people they detain. Is seems weird to me that now airlines are going to have to hire extra security to sit and watch anyone who is isolated and detained in handcuffs.

This was a real tragedy. However, there are many times in life when tragedies can't really be foreseen. They thought she was safely restrained. I would venture that many people in hospitals, jails, etc. across the country are handcuffed and not watched every minute.

 

[DawnCt1]

I have heard that certain body parts, brain, neck and heart I believe, were not returned to the family's pathologist for autopsy.

 

[OceanAnnie]

I have heard that certain body parts, brain, neck and heart I believe, were not returned to the family's pathologist for autopsy.

I read that article too. Strange.
There is an article on CNN, that tells about her husband calling the operator (at the airport?) to notify them that his wife was having a medical emergency. The police never got the information. It's sad to think the circumstances could've been much different had they been given that information.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/05/airport.death/index.html

 

[DawnCt1]

I read that article too. Strange.
There is an article on CNN, that tells about her husband calling the operator (at the airport?) to notify them that his wife was having a medical emergency. The police never got the information. It's sad to think the circumstances could've been much different had they been given that information.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/05/airport.death/index.html

 

[TyGuy]

I agree that it is a sad situation, but one thing that seems to get overlooked is ones own personal responsibility. The police were doing there job… subduing an hysterical woman who was causing a disturbance at the airport. If it is verified that the woman accidentally strangled herself because she was trying to get out of her handcuffs, then however sad it is, it was her own actions that caused her death. Her family shares some responsibly because they didn’t take the necessary precautions to make sure she arrived for treatment. I know that if my wife needed to go to the hospital, I would be there with her every step of the way.

Now to look at this from the other viewpoint, how would you feel if you were in the airport, with your kids, as this woman, supposedly drunk, creates this disturbance, shouts obscenities and carries on until the police are forced to subdue her. I’m thinking that most of us would applauded the police for handling the situation.

 

[kimmikayb]

I have heard that certain body parts, brain, neck and heart I believe, were not returned to the family's pathologist for autopsy.

Why would they keep those body parts?

 

[kaseyC]

I read that article too. Strange.
There is an article on CNN, that tells about her husband calling the operator (at the airport?) to notify them that his wife was having a medical emergency. The police never got the information. It's sad to think the circumstances could've been much different had they been given that information.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/05/airport.death/index.html

It's also sad that circumstances could have been different if her husband or some other family member would have escorted her across the country to rehab.

 

[horseshowmom]

I don't get how people are assuming she was mistreated. It sounds to me like she needed to be subdued, not allowed to fly, and detained. It doesn't really matter IMO what the reason was - she was a danger to herself and others at that point.

It really makes me wonder what kind of "supervision" the airlines are expected to provide for people they detain. Is seems weird to me that now airlines are going to have to hire extra security to sit and watch anyone who is isolated and detained in handcuffs.

This was a real tragedy. However, there are many times in life when tragedies can't really be foreseen. They thought she was safely restrained. I would venture that many people in hospitals, jails, etc. across the country are handcuffed and not watched every minute.

I agree with this completely.

I read in one of the posts where her MIL (I think) commented on her "crying out for help" at the airport. She was loud, out of control, and abusive to the officers.

Then I read about her husband calling and telling the airport personnel that she was having a medical emergency - that all she needed was to take her medicine because she hadn't taken it that day. Well, if he knew she hadn't taken it, whey didn't he make sure that she did take it before she left to fly across the country?

One of the links had statements by the lawyer saying that she arrived at the airport calm but that they thought she "might have been drinking" after that (knowing she was headed to rehab). So, along with her medical emergency, she was possibly intoxicated.

I don't see how or why the airport authorities should have to be put through the wringer over this. This person should NEVER have been allowed to fly without supervision in this situation. I feel sorry for everybody involved, but I think the family is wrong to try to hold the airport authorities responsible for their lack of judgement.

 

[OceanAnnie]

It's also sad that circumstances could have been different if her husband or some other family member would have escorted her across the country to rehab.

I don't know the entire circumstance, but the husband stayed behind to look after the children. The youngest is under 5, if memory serves me. I don't know the proximity of the rest of her family. There were arrangements for a friend to meet her.

I don't know what the protocol is, but if there is a hysterical person seems like they need supervision/monitoring especially if it isn't known why that person is hysterical. Just my .02. The whole case seems strange to me.

 

[NYBlue1]

I don't know the entire circumstance, but the husband stayed behind to look after the children. The youngest is under 5, if memory serves me. I don't know the proximity of the rest of her family. There were arrangements for a friend to meet her.

I don't know what the protocol is, but if there is a hysterical person seems like they need supervision/monitoring especially if it isn't known why that person is hysterical. Just my .02. The whole case seems strange to me.

It was reported in NY on the local news that she had stopped in the bar in the airport and was drinking which is why she did not get to the gate in time for the flight. Drunk people, especially women, can be very very beligerant when drunk, im sure she smellede badly of alcohol and my guess, the officers had spit and who knows what else on them by the time they got her to the holding area, in the time it took for them to wash there hands and catch a breath it appears this woman mistakenly strangled herself on a securing chain, which by the way is not very long and designed so something like this does not happen. Its a freak and sad accident , IMO thats it.

On the families end it appears a friend was to meet her and did not show?

 

[eclectics]

It was reported in NY on the local news that she had stopped in the bar in the airport and was drinking which is why she did not get to the gate in time for the flight. Drunk people, especially women, can be very very beligerant when drunk, im sure she smellede badly of alcohol and my guess, the officers had spit and who knows what else on them by the time they got her to the holding area, in the time it took for them to wash there hands and catch a breath it appears this woman mistakenly strangled herself on a securing chain, which by the way is not very long and designed so something like this does not happen. Its a freak and sad accident , IMO thats it.

On the families end it appears a friend was to meet her and did not show?

Strangling (deliberate or mistaken) would be quite apparent during an autopsy, yet the preliminary autopsy report stated the cause of death was undetermined at this time.

 

[NYBlue1]

Strangling (deliberate or mistaken) would be quite apparent during an autopsy, yet the preliminary autopsy report stated the cause of death was undetermined at this time.

I have to say I have not followed this closely after all the pieces started falling into place, I thought it was determined she had strangled herself, sad sad story no matter what the outcome.

 

[Disney Doll]

Maybe she was experiencing alcohol withdrawal. People with a history of heavy drinking and then sudden withdrawal can experience severe agitation. That's why hospitals have net beds.

Actually, hospitals have IV Ativan drips now. You practically have to have an act of Congress to physically restrain someone..i.e.-a waist restraint or wrist/ankle restraints. I haven't seen a net bed used in years.

We "chemically" restrain them instead, and keep them very well sedated until the worst of the DTs have passed.

 

[Disney Doll]

That in no way excuses the treatment she received. Sick people are still human.

Well, based on the story so far, she received the same treatment anyone else causing a ruckus at the airport these days would receive.

NOW we know that she was an alcoholic, a "sick" Mom, a lovely person.

The people dealing with her at the time had no idea who or what she was. Big deal, they have some guy on the phone telling them she needs to take her medicine. Well, if that guy was so concerned, he should have escorted her. They have the safety of everyone in the airport to consider, not just this one person. If you or your family had been in the airport in the vicinity of this woman and she had really gone off and injured one of your children, your spouse, your mother...would you be so quick to say that the airport personnel had treated her badly?????? Nope. You'd be pissed, and rightfully so, that no one in security did anything while this lady was going nuts. I'm sorry, but you don't screw around at airports today. Period. End of discussion.

I am a nurse on a medical floor...you know, the place where all the alcoholics go first to get dried out (the medical part of recovery) before they get the mental health part of the recovery. We have had alcoholics become violent before the sedatives we give them kick in, and they do sometimes get injured in our attempts to subdue them because there are 31 other patients on the unit and you cannot let this one person start going nuts and risk harm to everybody else. That's the way it is...good or bad.

I have to agree with some of the other posters...this woman had no business flying alone and the family who was so concerned about her should have had an escort...even if it had to be a paid health care or mental health professional or security professional or someone...anyone...to save this woman from herself for long enough to get her to rehab and get the help she obviously so desperately needed.

Sorry...the family dropped the ball on this one big time letting this woman fly alone. But I am sure it will be the fault of the bartender who served her, the security who had to deal with her and everyone else who had anything to do with this case.

I do agree that if there were procedures in place that should have been followed once she was in custody and they weren't followed, that should most definitely be addressed. But berating the airport officials for doing their job...sorry...they have more than just one person to worry about.

Personal responsibility is a thing of the past....

 

[Disney Doll]

I don't know the entire circumstance, but the husband stayed behind to look after the children. The youngest is under 5, if memory serves me. I don't know the proximity of the rest of her family. There were arrangements for a friend to meet her.

Call me crazy, but I think if I called a family member or friend and said "I need you to watch my kids so I can escort my spouse to alcohol rehab", I could probably find someone who would have been willing to do that for a day. I know they want to keep it "private", and I don't blame them, but there had to be someone in their life who knew their circumstances and would have been wiling to help. He could have flown out, gotten her settled into rehab and flown back home all in the same day if necessary.

The arrangements for the friend to meet her...well, they didn't quite pan out, did they??? Sorry, but based on reports of her mental status in the months prior to this incident, this is someone who should not have been left to fly alone.

 

[kimmikayb]

Sorry...the family dropped the ball on this one big time letting this woman fly alone. But I am sure it will be the fault of the bartender who served her, the security who had to deal with her and everyone else who had anything to do with this case.

This is the same thing I wonder! Where is the families accountability? I'm sure they will try to sue everyone and anyone. But ultimately, it was their responsibility.

 

[dcgrumpy]

Call me crazy, but I think if I called a family member or friend and said "I need you to watch my kids so I can escort my spouse to alcohol rehab", I could probably find someone who would have been willing to do that for a day. I know they want to keep it "private", and I don't blame them, but there had to be someone in their life who knew their circumstances and would have been wiling to help. He could have flown out, gotten her settled into rehab and flown back home all in the same day if necessary.

The arrangements for the friend to meet her...well, they didn't quite pan out, did they??? Sorry, but based on reports of her mental status in the months prior to this incident, this is someone who should not have been left to fly alone.

ITA

Besides the fact that there are plenty of good rehabs withing driving distance of NYC. If no one was able to escort her across country they should have brought her someplace local.

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

I don't think criminally that there will be anyone to blame in this case. I do think that the police did the right thing by arresting this person. Besides the fact that she was being violent, she was trying to board a plane while drunk. And I don't really doubt that she was supervised properly. The part that I don't get is a systematic problem: Why is it a policy to handcuff someone AND tether them to a bench AND put them in a cell? That seems a little unnecessary to me (unless perhaps there were others in that same cell, which there wasn't) and, moreso, dangerous. When you arrest people, you typically have no idea if they suffer from mental illnesses or not (which many do). So, you would thinkt that they would eliminate all possible items that could cause harm unless someone is being watched constantly. Even if they really thought it wasn't possible for someone to choke themselves on shackles, there's the more common practice of one beating one's head off the wall or floor when restrained. So, I guess, I question (but not blame) this practice. That's my piece about that.

It really makes me wonder what kind of "supervision" the airlines are expected to provide for people they detain. Is seems weird to me that now airlines are going to have to hire extra security to sit and watch anyone who is isolated and detained in handcuffs.

The airline had nothing to do with the detainment nor does it with any detainment. They simply requested a response from the police. So they aren't expected to supervise anyone - the police are.

 

[DawnCt1]

Actually, hospitals have IV Ativan drips now. You practically have to have an act of Congress to physically restrain someone..i.e.-a waist restraint or wrist/ankle restraints. I haven't seen a net bed used in years.

We "chemically" restrain them instead, and keep them very well sedated until the worst of the DTs have passed.

That's how long I have worked ini Occupational Health. We had Librium and Valium when I worked on med surg. After that I worked psych, but we did have restraints and a quiet room.

 

[Disney Doll]

That's how long I have worked ini Occupational Health. We had Librium and Valium when I worked on med surg. After that I worked psych, but we did have restraints and a quiet room.

Well, we still use Libirum occasionally, but it's mostly Ativan. Never Valium anymore. Then there's a bunch of non-narcotic stuff for the extraneous symptoms...anti-histamines for the runny nose, cough medicine, Advil for achiness, usually something for GI symptoms...there's a whole protocol we follow.

We can use restraints, but they are truly an absolute last resort, you have to have tried every other alternative, documented as such, document why you think the patient is a danger to himself or others and would need physical restraints...and you have to move Heaven and Earth to do it. Then they have to be out of restraints ASAP. There are no more "restrain as needed" orders.

Bed nets...not in years.