So sad… The ONLY thing about sudden deaths like that, is that when it’s your time to go , it’s easiest on the deceased, but definitely not the family… No suffering some long illness, hope that’s how I go ..quick and doing something I like, instead of some sterile , cold hospital RIP Sir

Why allow comments on this at all.?

Hi John,

I’d be interested in speaking to you if you could drop me an email? hugh@thejournal.ie

Thanks,

Hugh

Good point. May The Lord have mercy on his soul.

How can any sane person mark my comment with a red x.. Must be sick!

I think that possibly Dermot some folk on mobile devices tap the wrong button by mistake. Very tragic incident for this poor gentleman’s family. May he Rest in Peace.

@ Dermot 0′ Reilly,

Yes Dermot your right to comment on the red thumbs, sick does not cover it, i could add another few comments about those type of people, but i am going to refrain from doing so, and treat them with the contempt they deserve..

Dermot, maybe the red thumbs are because you religious people try to score points at every opportunity, even after a tragic death.

Any one know if Ryan Air had defibrillators do they make extra charges for the use of them.

What a tired, recycled joke.
You got to try harder for a new joke.
Not funny. Not in the slightest.

Very good points. My initial reaction was they should still have diverted (extended CPR á la Muamba comes to mind), but your points are spot on and I now think they were right to continue to Dublin. Must have been very distressing to all on board. Condolences to the man’s family.

Indeed it was very distressing, especially with a lot of young kids on board this morning in the rows behind and in front of where the deceased slumped forward. In fairness the Ryanair staff were very quick to react and summon for assistance..it was a terrible tragedy altogether..

I sincerely hope Ryanair will be in contact with you and the other passengers who witnessed it to offer any assistance. I know it was’nt their fault per se but it would be a decent humane gesture to their customers who witnessed something that distressing.

Why dont you ring them up and ask them. My condolences go out to his family and friends. R,I.P

Don’t know about other airlines but it’s unlikely RyanAir would have them, unless they charge a “medical emergency tax” on their tickets.

Defibs are literally the most important piece of kit on an aircraft (engines, wings etc aside). I know BA have them on all aircraft and Aer Lingus definately have them on ther Longhaul aircraft, not sure about their shorthaul fleet however.

Even if there was an AED on board it might not have worked as the AED will only shock two rhythms and most of the time the rhythms are not shockable.

AED’s are only required on Long Haul services, short haul routes around Europe can usually land within 15mins of declaring an Emergency so they are not legally required.

It depends on the airline. The European Aviation Safety Agency does not require planes flying within their jurisdiction to carry one.However, the US Federal Aviation Administration does and hence why Aer Lingus carries them on transatlantic flights.

There were a few Drs writing in to the Irish Times during the summer complaing about the present situation – worth a read if anyone’s interested in this sort of thing :

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2012/0705/1224319426790.html

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2012/0626/1224318725923.html

Alan, your incorrect. As this was a witnessed cardiac arrest chances are the patient was in VF. The AED might have saved him….

A defibrillator is only of assistance if patient is in a ‘ shockable rhythm ‘ .this is not always the case with a myocardial infarction ( heart attack) .An external defib will not treat a flat line event ( asystole).id be quite sure there was a defib in board however its not near as simple as that .

He may or may not have been in a shockable rhythm, but the fact remains that a defibrillator saves lives in many cases and they should be on board every flight. Basic defibrillators cost less than €2000 (small money in comparison to the cost of the aircraft itself and all the other equipment on board), so there is not much excuse for airlines to carry one on board each of their aircraft, and ensure that staff receive training in first aid (which only takes 2-3 days to complete). The ability to land at the nearest airport within 15 minutes is a poor excuse, since following an MI, stroke or choking episode, where the heart stops beating effectively, a persons chance of survival decreases by 10% for every minute that passes without basic life support and defibrillation. It is therefore essential that a person receives appropriate treatment within the vital first few minutes to avoid permanent brain damage or death.

It’s just padding. Saying that he died from a suspected heart attack or that there were doctors on board probably isn’t necessary either but stories would be incredibly vague if known details weren’t included.

Anyway, condolences to the man’s family and friends.

What is your problem with a comprehensive report?

The poor sod was on a Ryanair flight – that is a fact – and readers are entitled to ALL the facts. We are mature enough to decide what is and is not important!

Don’t believe mentioning the airline is being sensationalist. It is being factual and journalists reports facts. I don’t believe the article played on any anti Ryanair sentiments that are abound in the media. Indeed they should be commended for continuing to Dublin for the family’s sake- can be very stressful and expensive repatriating a body from overseas. R.I.P.

An Irish person died on an Irish airline en-route to Ireland. That is a story and it’s an obvious thing to mention what Irish airline. Everything else is just twaddle.

If the airline wasn’t mentioned, you would probably be commenting with a question as to which airline it was.

Ian walsh, no i would not be asking which airline because its irrelevant. Unfortunetly you have completely missed my point. I have no objection to the naming of the airline in fact i think its right and proper but in the body of the article such as ‘ryanair flight number ae1235 from portugal to dublin etc’… The naming of it in the headline accompanied by the picture of the ryanair plane and naming again in the first paragraph, to me, is attempting to sensationalise by infering through previous bad publicity and past public furore about the airline that there was something untoward or negative at play. By the way i am completely impartial in my view toward the airline but i also think this distracts from the main story which is the unfortunate passing of this poor man.

It isn’t irrelevant if it turns out that the man died because Ryanair does not have a policy of carrying defibrillators on board their aircraft, while other airlines do. It’s often this sort of ‘sensationalist’ publicity which compels companies such as Ryanair to review their policies and make an investment in equipping their aircraft with AEDs and training their staff to use them.

http://www.thejournal.ie/airlines-not-required-to-carry-defibrillators-502811-Jun2012/

I was wondering if it was because they were making religious references (may god have mercy on his soul etc.) and the red thumbs were from anti-religion people, but I can’t understand why on earth you got so many red thumbs for this comment!

Why?

In what way Jack do you disagree. Is it not better for his family to have his remains taken to Dublin rather then another airport in another country where they would have to arrange the transport of his remains home and probable get stuck in some red legal tape. I see no morality issue with continuing the flight to Dublin.

If he’s already dead, and with two doctors on board to confirm it, what’s the point in landing somewhere else and adding to the stress for his family by having them have to try and organise getting a body back from France or England or wherever?
One would assume he wasn’t on his own either, so maybe his family or friends were consulted.

Surely his family wouldn’t want to be stuck in a different country after such a tragedy, would you want to be in a foreign country if something like that happened? Very sad story

Better to get him home ASAP so his death can be officially documented and his poor family notified than leaving them at the airport waiting indefinitely.

Why?
If they diverted to somewhere else then his family would have only had the hassle of trying to get his body back to them in Ireland. They done the right thing continuing the journey to Dublin. Rip & condolences to his family.

You disagree? The poor chap had a heart attack, both doctors probably struggled to resuscitate the gentleman and I’m sure called his death in a very professional manner. I mean these flights don’t hug the coast they were probably 30 mins from the nearest airport and if he wasn’t revived by then he’s never going to be revived.

My initial reaction was the same but on reflection, I think this was right… They brought him home and how much greater the distress for his bereaved, had they had to endure the stress of arranging for his remains home, which would have been required had they diverted elsewhere.

I can only imagine though, how distressing it must have been for the passengers…

May he rest in peace…

Shane I totally agree with you. On second though I feel it may have been the correct decision.

Plus, there is not a huge selection of countries to fly into between Portugal and Ireland, once you’re over Santiago, next stop Ireland. if the poor fellow was dead it’s best to get him back to his family at home and save them even further distress and probably a massive amount of paperwork (especially if they landed in Portugal or Spain). RIP

Fair play Jack for acknowledging that….