"The man deserves a medal!"
Posted on 03/06/2011 6:01:33 PM PST by rawhide
Angry mum Natalie Williamson with her son Riley. Source: Herald Sun VIRGIN Blue has sacked a male flight attendant and offered an angry mother free flights after her toddler was put in an overhead locker. Natalie Williamson claims she, her 17-month-old son, Riley, and her now estranged husband were on a Virgin flight from Fiji to Sydney, when the flight attendant picked up Riley, placed him in the locker and closed the latch.
Virgin has admitted an incident did take place, but claims Ms Williamson's husband was playing a peek-a-boo game with Riley involving the overhead compartment when the flight attendant joined in.
"We conducted a thorough investigation of the incident and the staff member involved was subsequently terminated," a Virgin spokeswoman said.
The airline offered Ms Williamson three free flights, but the mother has said she is too shaken by the mid-air experience to redeem them.
"My husband, Shayne, was standing one metre behind my son, Riley, when the air steward picked him up and placed him in the overhead compartment," she said.
"I stood up and there were people laughing and then I said 'Get my son out of there now'," she told the Sunday Herald Sun.
"I was devastated. I was absolutely devastated.
"I was crying. My husband was in shock. For days on end I was crying."
Ms Williamson said Riley was locked in the compartment for up to 10 seconds in complete darkness.
Ms Williamson said Riley, now 20 months, had seen various specialists since the incident after suffering from anxiety and withdrawal.
"He won't leave my sight now. He sleeps with me. If I'm not in the same room as him, he will scream and yell 'Mum, mum, mum'," she said.
(Excerpt) Read more at heraldsun.com.au ...
"I was crying. My husband was in shock. For days on end I was crying."
Wow, that's all it takes to "devastate" you? You're very fragile, how do you find the courage to leave your house?
Ever put your child in a car seat? He's more restricted in that than he was in the overhead. Does he sleep with a night-light, or do you also traumatize him by putting him in the dark? ;-)
This whole thing stinks. The kid no-doubt forgot the whole thing before the flight landed. The mom is looking for a payoff. She wouldn't want me anywhere near the case - I'd literally laugh in her face.
Um. He fit, didn’t he?
He doesn’t look horribly emotionally scarred by the experience.
The odd thing about the story to me: I can't recall the last time I was on a flight where the overhead bins weren't jam-packed with everyone's stuff! You'd have a hard time putting your pet gerbil in there, much less someone's kid!
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