APRIL, 2018
Edie Brous
Nurse Attorney
118 East 28th Street
Room 404
New York, NY 10016
Tel. (212) 989-5469
Fax. (646) 349-5355
Email:

EdieBrous@EdieBrous.com
Web Site:
EdieBrous.com


the american association of nurse attorneys logo
WHO DO YOU WANT ON YOUR PLANE?

As so frequently happens with human tragedy, the right people are in the right place at the right time, and those with no prior relationship to a person in trouble step up to the plate. With 149 people on board, Dallas-bound Southwest Flight 1380 departed from New York on April 17, 2018. Twenty minutes into the flight, while above 30,000 feet and traveling at 500 miles an hour, a fan blade broke off the left engine and the Boeing 737 suffered a deadly midair explosion. Shrapnel from the explosion damaged the wing and blew out the window in row 14, depressurizing the cabin, and partially sucking passenger Jennifer Riordan out of the plane.
 
Ms. Riordan, a 43-year old bank executive and mother of two from New Mexico, was being sucked into the air. The passenger across the aisle, Texas farm and real estate agent Tim McGinty, tried to pull her back into the aircraft. He was unable to do so by himself, but firefighter/EMT Andrew Needum jumped up to assist him and the two of them were able to get her into the plane. She was unconscious and bleeding from blunt trauma to her head, neck, and torso.  McGinty and Needum laid her across a row of seats. Retired school nurse Peggy Phillips pulled off her own oxygen mask and ran to Ms. Riordan. Phillips and Needum administered CPR throughout the entire 20 minute harrowing descent and landing. Their frantic attempts to save Ms. Riordan were unsuccessful and she died of her injuries.
 
The ending of this story could have been very different and much more deadly. The pilot, however, was a decorated veteran Navy fighter pilot described as having “nerves of steel.”  Captain Tammie Jo Shultz, along with her first officer Darren Ellisor, took the plane down more than 20,000 feet in five minutes to stabilize the cabin pressure, then skillfully landed the wounded plane in Philadelphia. Although other passengers were injured, there were no other casualties.
 
Jennifer Riordan was a beloved altruistic philanthropist who dedicated her life to helping others. It is fitting that at the end of her life, she was assisted by others doing the same. Her family has established a memorial trust for her – the Jennifer Riordan Memorial Trust. Contributions can be contributed to at
https://www.caringcent.com/sparklejennifer/    or at
The Jennifer Riordan Memorial Trust
c/o Michael Riordan
PO Box #155
11024 Montgomery Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM 87111
 
The family asks that we celebrate her “by being kind, loving, caring, and sharing to your friends, family, and community.”  Maybe we can honor her by trying to show some of that kindness to each other. Maybe we can let the actions of those who tried to help her be models for our own actions toward others. I travel a great deal and never know who is on the plane with me. But on my next flight, here is who I want on my plane: a navy fighter pilot, a Texas realtor, a firefighter/EMT, and a school nurse.
 
JENNIFER RIORDAN
 
http://people.com/human-interest/jennifer-riordan-southwest-airlines-window-memorial/
 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/investigators-in-fatal-southwest-flight-want-to-know-why-engine-fan-fractured/2018/04/18/e1d72ddc-430a-11e8-bba2-0976a82b05a2_story.html
 
http://www.newsweek.com/southwest-airlines-peggy-phillips-airplane-892035
 
http://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news/retired-nurse-peggy-phillips-jennifer-riordan-cpr-southwest-flight/4871552/
 
https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/18/us/southwest-pilot-landing/index.html
 
https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/04/18/us/ap-us-southwest-airlines-emergency-landing-the-latest.html

https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/world/dont-consider-myself-hero-nurse-onboard-fatal-southwest-airlines-flight-performed-cpr-woman-partially-sucked-window
 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1672844/Video-EMT-speaks-rescue-attempt-Southwest-Airlines-flight.html
Bar Admissions:
  • New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
  • Southern and Eastern Districts New York Federal Courts
  • United States Supreme Court
Attorney Advertising
This newsletter is intended to provide general information for educational purposes only.  It does not serve as a substitute for legal advice.  If you need legal assistance engage the services of an attorney in your state.  Subscription to this newsletter does not create an attorney/client relationship.
Copyright © 2018, Edie Brous, RN, Esq.