Baggage handler dies in freak accident when hair gets caught on airport belt loader

Local 12 ^ | Sept 1, 2022

[11th_VA]

NEW ORLEANS (WDSU/CNN Newsource/WKRC) - A baggage handler at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport got her hair caught on the conveyer belt, resulting in her tragic death.

"She said 'Mom I'm on my way to work' I said 'Okay I'll see you when you get home,'" said Angela Dorsey, Jermani Thompson 's mother.

But she never made it home.

Thompson always seemed to have a basketball in her hands.

"She was a basketball guru. She loved basketball. That was her thing," Dorsey said.

Word quickly began to spread Tuesday night that the 26-year-old had been killed in an industrial accident.

"The doctor said that her hair got stuck in the conveyer and they tried say they tried to cut her hair but they couldn't," said Dorsey. "She died on her way to the hospital."

Thompson, who was employed through GAT Airline Ground Support, was unloading baggage around 10:20 p.m. from a Frontier Airlines flight. Minutes later, her mother received the call.

[New Perspective]

LOL, I know exactly what you are talking about.

As far as helping someone with a security issue, I have had similar experiences. They have no idea what they have opened themselves up for then wonder why they are a victim.

[logi_cal869]

It’s simply that these rules are not enforced for privileged classes.

Nailed it.

Equity killed her. If she embraced equity, she bears responsibility…not OSHA, not the airline.

[jocon307]

Terrible! I am very sorry for this poor woman and her family.

[Svartalfiar]

You don’t hear of this happening much.

That's because most every place that this can happen at, has rules disallowing any free-hanging hair. I'm guessing she wasn't within hair regs when this happened, and if the company tries to pursue that (they aren't liable), then here come some more anti-white riots.

[dforest]

You are probably right.

[Svartalfiar]

There wasn’t an emergency stop button on the conveyor?

I'm sure there was, but she was probably past the savable point before anyone had time to notice what happened, much less get to the button and push it.