I read this article about a passenger who was nearly sucked out of Ryanair Jet says crew "Did Nothing" as lawyer accuses them of saving themselves. Here is an update:
The couple have launched legal action against the airline, but standard decompression procedures require cabin crew to remain secured until released by the captain.
The passenger who was partially sucked out of a Ryanair Boeing 737 after a cabin window shattered at 15,000 feet has launched legal action against the airline, accusing cabin crew of standing by as fellow passengers fought to save his life.
Ljubisa Karovic and his wife, Svetlana, claim the crew failed to intervene during the terrifying emergency, while their lawyer has gone even further, alleging the flight attendants were more concerned with saving themselves than helping the injured passenger.
Before looking at those allegations, it's important to understand what cabin crew are trained to do during a rapid decompression. Flight attendants are not trained to immediately rush to an injured passenger following an explosive decompression. Instead, their emergency procedures require them to secure themselves in the nearest available seat, don oxygen if required, and remain restrained until the captain has descended the aircraft to a safe, breathable altitude and releases the cabin crew from their protected positions.
Only then do cabin crew begin moving through the cabin to carry out their emergency duties, including assessing injuries, administering first aid, carrying portable oxygen bottles through the cabin and providing therapeutic oxygen to passengers who require it. Rushing toward a passenger while the aircraft was still undergoing an emergency descent would have been contrary to standard cabin crew emergency training and could have placed both the crew and other passengers at greater risk.
The incident occurred on July 10 aboard Ryanair Flight FR1879 from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany. Karovic had fallen asleep in seat 11F when a loud explosion, which he described as sounding "like a bomb," shattered the window beside him. Investigators believe debris from the aircraft's right engine struck the window, causing an explosive decompression.
The force of the decompression pulled Karovic's head, right shoulder and arm outside the aircraft while it was flying at nearly 500 mph. Oxygen masks deployed throughout the cabin as passengers screamed in panic.
The force of the decompression pulled Karovic's head, right shoulder and arm outside the aircraft while it was flying at nearly 500 mph. Oxygen masks deployed throughout the cabin as passengers screamed in panic.
His seatbelt is believed to have saved his life. Sitting several rows behind after the couple chose not to pay the additional fee to sit together, Svetlana rushed forward and grabbed her husband's legs. She was joined by several passengers, including a man who helped pull Karovic back inside during a desperate struggle that reportedly lasted up to two minutes. The passenger later placed a large suitcase against the shattered window opening after another bag was sucked from the aircraft.
Karovic lost consciousness while hanging outside the aircraft and later woke covered in blood. He suffered burns to his face, arm and hand from the intense airflow, severe neck and shoulder injuries, and now faces weeks wearing a neck brace while doctors monitor whether surgery will be required. He spent six days recovering in a Greek hospital before being discharged.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Svetlana recalled the desperate moments inside the cabin.
"When we were battling to hold onto Ljubisa, the crew didn't do anything, they looked more scared than us. It was only the passengers who helped and were brave."
Their lawyer, Vasilis Tsiaras, who is representing the couple in legal proceedings against Ryanair, made even stronger allegations.
"There are also serious concerns about the conduct of the Ryanair crew. They were gripped by fear that the plane was about to crash which prevented them from doing anything to help Mr. Karovic as he was hanging out of the aircraft."
He added:
"It seems that the crew were more interested in saving their own lives. It was only the actions of the passengers that saved my client."
The couple have also criticized Ryanair's communication following the incident.
"All we've had is emails to my son, who booked our flights, asking if we want to rebook and asking how I was. But nobody from the company has contacted me directly, not even a phone call to show any concern."
Ryanair has rejected those allegations, saying its customer care team has remained in contact with the family. The airline also said that once the aircraft had descended to a safe altitude, cabin crew attended to Karovic by moving him to another seat beside his wife, arranging for a doctor onboard to remain with him until landing, and ensuring medical personnel were waiting when the aircraft returned safely to Thessaloniki.
The incident remains under investigation by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, which is working to determine what caused the apparent engine failure and catastrophic window failure.
