Thursday, October 24, 2013

Associated Airlines: Surviving crash victim’s toes, fingers amputated


All 10 toes and five fingers on the left hand of one of the surviving cabin crew of the Associated Airlines, Mrs. Quinneth Owolabi, were eventually amputated four days ago.
Owolabi was one of the five survivors of the airlines’ Embraer 120 aircraft, which crashed near the MurtalaMuhammedAirport, Ikeja, Lagos, while conveying the remains of former governor of OndoState, Chief Olusegun Agagu, to Akure for burial.
Photo by Citizen Samuel Omotosho
Photo by Citizen Samuel Omotosho

This is as an online report said that Feyi, late Agagu’s son, was yesterday discharged from the Orthopaedic Ward of Princess Grace Hospital, Nottingham Place, London, two weeks after his admission into the hospital, as he was considered out of danger.
Owolabi’s toes and fingers were to be amputated last week at the NigerianAirForceHospital, NAF Base, Ikeja, following gangrene infection.
The husband, alongside members of National Cabin Crew Association, NACCA, had appealed to the Federal Government to fly her abroad for treatment to avoid the amputation.
Vanguard gathered, yesterday, that the victim’s toes and fingers were finally amputated four days ago, as no help came from government.
The amputation, Vanguard learned, was done so that the infection would not spread to other parts of her body.
Colleagues’ anger
Serving and retired cabin crew executives expressed anger over government’s refusal to come to the aid of the victim despite the appeal made by NACCA and the family.
Spokesperson of the group, Mrs. Blessing Efe, said Owolabi would have been saved the trauma of amputation had government heeded her cries, but confirmed that Miss Toyin Samson’s situation was stable at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, Ikeja, where she is on admission.
According to her, the victim has been going through a lot of trauma since the toes and fingers were amputated four days ago.
She said: “It is unfortunate that no help came when Quinneth needed it most. Her toes and fingers were amputated three days ago (four days today). Imagine the trauma she is going through at the moment.
“We want government to always support people who survive air crashes because the accident is not their making.
“We are trying now to sensitise the public and government on the need to assist those who survive air crashes. It is not easy to survive air an accident.”
She flayed management of Associated Airlines for abandoning the cabin crew since the accident occurred about three weeks ago, stressing that nobody was talking about insurance claims for victims of the crash.
Mrs. Efe said: “The airline has not been forthcoming on care for the two cabin crew who survived the crash. The excuse they gave for Quinneth’s case was that she was not stable enough to be flown out for treatment.
“Now, her toes and fingers have been severed because of abandonment.”
She recalled the experience of the cabin crew executive who survived EAS crash in Kano on May 4, 2002 and had been suffering due to lack of care by the authorities.
She said the iron rod on her leg expired over four years ago and that she had not been able to replace it due to lack of funds.
Efe said: “We expect Governor Idris Wada of KogiState to come to the aid of the lady. He was the owner of EAS Airlines when that plane crashed in 2002.”
Feyi Agagu discharged
An online report said that Feyi was, yesterday, discharged from the Orthopaedic Ward of Princess Grace Hospital, Nottingham Place, London, two weeks after his admission into the hospital after he was deemed him fit and considered out of danger.
Feyi and Akin, his in-law, are survivors of the October 3 Lagos crash.
Feyi had multiple-fracture and was also suffering from a neck injury, which doctors said may permanently incapacitate him if not hurriedly treated.
Apart from the neck injury, Feyi was also said to be suffering from what the doctors called one percent burn.
Feyi and his in-law, Akin, were moved from LASUTH, on October 8, to the hospital in London.
culled from Vanguard


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