Delta Air Lines will carry an overdose-reversing drug after a tragic overdose led to a passenger death on a transcontinental flight.
Deadly Delta Flight Leads To Stocking Overdose Drug Onboard
The overdose occurred in 2019. A man was found passed out with a needle in his arm in the lavatory onboard a Delta flight from Boston to Los Angeles. He had barricaded himself in the lavatory, forcing a passenger to break in. Despite the best efforts of flight attendants, passengers, a doctor onboard, and later paramedics on the ground, the man was carried off the plane in a body bag.
A man just #overdosed on my @delta flight, needle in arm he passed out in bathroom. The plane didn’t have a #NarcanKit. The paramedics took 10 minutes to arrive. They just carried him out in a body bag 🙏🏾@Delta please practice #harmreduction and get a #NarcanKit on every ✈️
— Lynne Lyman (@lynnelyman) July 14, 2019
Over a year later, Delta is adding Naloxone (Narcan) to its in-flight emergency toolkits, a drug designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose. Such a drug would likely have saved the life of the passenger onboard.
A Delta spokesperson said:
“Earlier this year, Delta made the decision to improve our on board medical capabilities by including Narcan to its Enhanced Emergency Medical Kits. The process to provision Narcan takes some time and putting it on the aircraft begins this fall.”
Alaska Airlines, Frontier, and United Airlines already offer Naloxone kits onboard.
CONCLUSION
This is such a sad story. The death itself is sad, but it is also sad that this could have been avoided. Stocking naloxone is a smart and reasonable move. I’m just surprised it took this long. Do not think for one moment I am calling for an abdication of personal responsibility or somehow absolving the user of his choices in life. But anyone desperate enough to shoot up on a plane is a human in great need. I don’t think we should just turn our backs on such people and indifferently let them die.
image: Delta
The FAA and the airlines have failed here. Narcan should have been an onboard requirement long ago.
Why the heck should we bend over backwards for junkies?????
proof once again, stupid people win stupid prizes.
The idea that an airline should be responsible for keeping junkies alive is ridiculous. If we accept that one intends the natural consequences of their actions, then these folks are intentionally trying to kill themselves. Not anyone else’s problem outside of perhaps the medical community.
While we cannot possibly save everyone, we can help those humans in need within our sphere. This is one such case. Life is too valuable simply to say, “Let him die.”
I don’t want anyone to die on a plane, but let’s be honest, isn’t he and others who do something like this on a plane not only a danger to himself but others as well? I sincerely question how and why so many illegal drugs and paraphernalia are getting past the oh so wonderful TSA or are there just flat out drug dealers running around in the airport proper? I wonder how much Is passing thru security that it has prompted airlines to carry narcan? This should concern all flying public. I’m sorry the guy died but what if he went nuts on board and really caused some damage? I know these are all what if’s but it’s very concerning and needs investigation.
Why do you assume that one intends the natural consequences of their actions? Or that an overdose is the expected consequence of drug use? While it is a possibility, it is far from intended
Bad choices have consequences….!!!!
You mean like having a bad diet, being over weight and suffering a massive heart attack while on board?
Throw a blanket over them and let ’em die.
Bad choices, right?
While it’s not the responsibility of an airline, we are a compassionate people.
If Delta feels inclined to put it’s best foot forward I salute them.
He stuck a needle in his arm and the airline failed? When does this craziness end that it is everyone else’s fault? It is absolutely tragic that he died it is absolutely tragic that he had a narcotic problem but it certainly isn’t the airlines “failure”
Dublin, no one said that it was the airlines’ fault. But if a small, cheap step can save lives, airlines should take that step.
Really?????
I would prefer that the airline instead save that space onboard for drugs or equipment designed to help with medical issues that aren’t self-inflicted.
Like heart attacks and strokes? There is certainly no evidence of lifestyle factors playing a role in them. Maybe they should also stop carrying equipment to help deliver babies? Pretty sure the majority of pregnancies require a bit of self indulgence.
Thank you!!
‘Junky’ is a fairly perjorative term to use, especially given that such a large number of people have been introduced to narcotics by the medical profession. Until you have walked a mile in their shoes…
The “junkies” are victims. The real criminals are those who developed, manufactured, sold and exploited drugs like OxyContin, until recently celebrated as philanthropists and major art donors , but now shunned as the crooks they truly are.
A good move by Delta but long overdue.
I’m sure you think all criminals are just “victims” of the system. When will you start to hold people responsible for their own actions??
“The death itself is sad, but it is also sad that this could have been avoided.” Could not agree more, it could easily be avoided by starting with him not sticking a needle in his arm and injecting drugs during a flight.
Naloxone (Narcan) is an universally regarded as an essential component of any modern emergency medicine kit, and Delta is to be applauded for its inclusion in the onboard resources available to their FA’s (it’s easily administered by laypeople) and any medical personnel on the flight. The matter of noting that a passenger is in distress and extricating them from the lavatory is often a factor in these situations, and it is (sadly) likely that the respiratory depression and cardiac arrest brought on by the overdose might have been in place for a period of time that meant that the person was not an ideal candidate for the antidote, I hope Delta has kept up to date with trends in overdoses, as some Fentanyl overdoses require higher doses of nalaoxone to “reverse” the overdose (the usual 0.4 mg won’t be effective). I understand that the comments section is a common spot for provocative statements, but the presumed dehumanizing intent inherent in the assumption that the person who died didn’t live a life that mattered, or didn’t deserve another chance at continuing that life, is disappointing.
“But anyone desperate enough to shoot up on a plane is a human in great need. I don’t think we should just turn our backs on such people and indifferently let them die.”
I serve on the board of a library system. Overdoses in libraries, especially in larger cities/metropolitan areas is a huge problem. Addicts will often shoot up in public rest rooms because if they accidently fall out/overdose, there is a chance someone will find them before it is too late.
Opiate addiction is a horrible thing and does often start with doctor prescribed pain killers. Until one sees the impact first hand, its easy to blame users for lack of self control. A friend of the family once told me, “I don’t use heroin to feel good, I use it to keep from feeling like I am dying.”
How did this get passed TSA should be the question?
Probably the same way most guns do.
The TSA is more worried about a bottle of soda you brought or taking your computer out of your bag more than anything. I will assume an addict will know all the tricks on how to get this thru security. Shamefully broken system.
FAs and passengers are not responsible for drug addicts overdosing. Airlines should never be required to divert for overdosing. The craziness needs to end.If you do drugs you will die, not if, it’s when. You will die.Insanity needs to stop at TSA. Not inflight. They WILL NOT SAVE YOU.STOP.
Gosh, I guess the airlines need to plan for every contingency. Might as well start stocking condoms in the bathrooms, lest someone contract AIDS during a mid-air tryst. In your own words (edited for my scenario):
“The [AIDS infection] itself is sad, but it is also sad that this could have been avoided. Stocking [condoms] is a smart and reasonable move. I’m just surprised it took this long. Do not think for one moment I am calling for an abdication of personal responsibility or somehow absolving the [person] of his choices in life. But anyone desperate enough to [have sex] on a plane is a human in great need. I don’t think we should just turn our backs on such people and indifferently let them [get AIDS].”
There is truly no limit to this madness.
See Paul’s answer above, Andy K. Many who face drug dependency issues were first prescribed such drugs by a doctor and taken them to ease pain, not to “get high” or for recreational purposes. Have a little empathy.
Do you have the same empathy for those with the HIV?
Seriously though, no doctor prescribes heroin shot with a syringe. Plus, if he was getting his hands on quantities of Oxy to kill himself, he was probably doctor shopping or using fake script.
I have this disease – it’s called laziness. Sometimes when I’m flying Delta, I choose to watch an in flight movie rather than get my work done. This is a disease I can prevent, and there are resources out there to help me…but honestly I’m happiest when I’m being lazy.
Can Delta pay for an in-flight secretary to help me with my expenses? I think it’s their social responsibility to cater to me, a diseased person who’s inflicting harm on myself and my family.
Of course, the costs of this in-flight secretary will be born by Delta’s non-lazy customers, because money isn’t free – but that’s ok, because it’s their societal obligation to care for me too.
As a board certified emergency medicine physician and EMS fellowship trained using narcan in a confined space is extremely dangerous. About 40% of the time, the patient becomes extremely agitated and combative. That puts everyone’s life at risk. With newer narcotics, the half life of narcan is much less than the opiate requiring large, sustained dosages. The safest approach to these patients and what I teach my squads is unless they are absolutely not breathing, it’s best to assist respirations instead of dealing with a combative patient that puts you and everyone else at risk.
Sad and indeed quite horrifying on nearly every level. He “was” someone’s son or brother; if we can give him a chance, a 2nd or 3rd chance, why not?
sad and in some cities the fire rescue responders see the same patient 2-3 times a day and give them Narcan….how much is enough to keep on the planes and who will check if it is outdated and refreshed??? issues that airlines have to now add to all of their other duties!!!!!
Just to clarify. Are some here advocating that doctors should not prescribe pain killers because of the possible repercussions?
Have you people never been in pain? And I’m not talking about some lousy toothache.
The lack of empathy in the comments on this post do a pretty good job of explaining why American cities are filled with homeless people. A phenomenon not seen on nearly as wide of a scale throughout the rest of the developed world.
Could this death have been avoided? In this particular case it is unclear how long the man was in the lavatory before rescue began. He may well have already expired. Nevertheless, Narcan is a lifesaver and should be on every commercial airline.