Spirit Passengers Save Man's Life

Image: Spirit Airbus A319. (photo courtesy of Spirit Airlines Media)
Image: Spirit Airbus A319. (photo courtesy of Spirit Airlines Media)
Donald Wood
by Donald Wood
Last updated: 11:15 AM ET, Fri March 16, 2018

Passengers on a Spirit Airlines flight saved a man's life Tuesday after he stopped breathing just moments before the plane was scheduled to take off from a Detroit airport.

According to Click on Detroit, Spirit Flight 802 was scheduled to take off from Detroit Metropolitan Airport en route to Orlando International Airport just after 9 a.m. local time when the incident occurred.

A male aboard the plane collapsed and a fellow passenger, a nurse named Sue Kneehouse, jumped into action, along with several other passengers and crew members. Kneehouse confirmed the man was not breathing and she couldn't find a pulse, so she grabbed the onboard defibrillator.

After using the defibrillator, the man started to breathe once again and the other passengers on the plane began to cheer. Paramedics arrived at the scene, wheeled the man off the aircraft and rushed him to the Metro Detroit Hospital.

The male passenger is alive, but still recovering from the ordeal at the hospital.

The flight endured a short delay before continuing on its journey to Orlando, but the passengers onboard said it was worth the wait in order to save the man's life. Kneehouse and the people who helped save the passenger's life are being heralded as heroes.


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Donald Wood

Donald Wood

Managing Editor

Donald Wood is TravelPulse’s Managing Editor, bringing nearly 15 years of experience to the desk. He currently lives outside Philadelphia with his wife and two children.

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