Bayoor Ewuoso’s experience aboard Arik Air flight W3 103 Y Lagos to Johannesburg on October 31, 2014, exposes the reality and danger of flying with airlines which compromise on basic safety requirements.
About an hour before arriving Johannesburg, Mr. Ewuoso said he requested a cup of coffee, which an Arik flight attendant mistakenly spilled on his thighs. His pains turned to disbelief and shock when the attendant told him there was no first aid kit on board the plane and that he should go to the toilet and pour cold water on the spot.
“I was shocked, I felt very bad when he told me there was no first aid kit on board. I just thought to myself, if this was something else, probably, I would even die under Arik’s watch,” Mr. Ewuoso said.
In the toilet, Mr. Ewuoso noticed he had serious burns on both thighs. He splashed cold water on himself and returned to his seat. Not even the slight relief felt from applying Vaseline jelly given to him by a female passenger seated behind him was able to reduce the pain he felt on the flight to South Africa, Mr. Ewuoso said.
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| Burnt Bayoor Ewuoso |
On arrival at Johannesburg, Mr. Ewuoso said Arik Air abandoned him to his plight without making any arrangement for him to get proper medical attention. By the time he checked into his hotel, he discovered the burn had become a wound. He consulted a pharmacist who gave him a syrup and some pain killers.
Mr. Ewuoso, a multiple award winning photojournalist, was in South Africa to attend an Investigative Journalism conference at the University of Witwatersrand. The few times he ventured out in public during his seven-day stay in Johannesburg saw him being ridiculed because of the way he walked. Mr. Ewuoso was in constant pain and discomfort.
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