26 May 2024 , 16:56
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A member of cabin crew who broke her leg in seven places in turbulence has won a payout but admits: “It doesn’t bring back what I’ve lost.”
Eden Garrity, 31, can no longer do “the best job in the world ” after her ankle snapped during a hailstorm. She was pushing a catering trolley on the Thomas Cook flight from Cuba to Manchester when they shot up 500ft.
Doctors said the impact of the plane floor was “like a sledgehammer”. She broke her fibula in five places, her tibia once, fractured her foot and cracked her ankle bone.
She needed surgery to insert screws and metal plates, as well as an external brace. She could not walk for two months and needed intense rehab. Nerve damage now makes it painful for her to stand up for long periods so she can never again work as cabin crew.
She needed surgery to insert screws and metal plates, as well as an external brace (Eden Garrity / SWNS)Eden, of Leigh, in Greater Manchester, said: “To suffer from injuries so severe I couldn’t return has been utterly heartbreaking. I suffered from depression and was diagnosed with PTSD and anxiety.” While the payout has helped, Eden, who worked for Thomas Cook between April 2017 and its collapse in September, said: “It has left me bitter, I’m resentful for it. It was the best job in the world and I feel I’ve lost a piece of my personality.”
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The aircraft had taken a 100-mile detour to avoid adverse weather over the Atlantic in August 2019. The pilot asked the crew to be seated but the plane shot upwards before Eden could secure the cart.
She broke her fibula in five places, her tibia once, fractured her foot and cracked her ankle bone (Eden Garrity / SWNS)Lawyers for Thompsons Solicitors argued staff should have been made aware they would encounter adverse weather and additional precautions should have been put in place.
While Thomas Cook’s insurers denied responsibility, Eden has received an undisclosed compensation care package worth six figures. Yesterday, 12 people were injured in turbulence on a flight from Qatar to Ireland in turbulence. And last week one person died and at least 71 others were hurt on a London to Singapore flight.