By Zach Hope and Jessica McSweeney
Bangkok: Australian man Keith Davis, an injured passenger from the ill-fated Singapore Airlines flight 321, has spoken to media from his Bangkok hospital room after being blocked from reporters the day before.
Davis’ wife has been in intensive care since the flight from London to Singapore was forced to make an emergency landing in Thailand on Tuesday following the death of a passenger in extreme turbulence.
Keith Davis (centre) is whisked away and prevented from talking to reporters at Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, on Thursday.Credit: AP
Speaking with the Today show from his hospital room, Davis said his wife suffered a severe spinal injury.
“She has no sensation from her waist down, it’s pretty radical for us,” he said.
“It’s a hell of a shock … we’ve had a fantastic holiday in the UK, we’re one more flight away, nearly home, and this comes along.”
Davis said his wife had gone into emergency surgery with the aim of getting her stable enough for medical evacuation home. The couple have been assigned a customer care representative from Singapore Airlines, and had a meeting with the CEO.
Davis described the moment the plane hit turbulence as absolute “carnage”.
“It was absolutely surreal, there was no warning,” he said.
“We just fell into a freefall zone and before we knew it we’re on the ceiling and then bang, we’re on the ground.”
His wife fell into the aisle and didn’t move.
“I realised I was pouring blood all over her and I thought, ‘Wow, we are in a lot of serious trouble here.’ ”
Davis hopes to have her medically evacuated to Adelaide, where they live.
Earlier, he said he and his wife had “had no information from Singapore, not a single word” of the airline, which has maintained a heavy presence at Bangkok’s Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital since the emergency that injured close to half of the 211 passengers.
“I need to know, ‘Am I going through my insurance?’ I’ve got no idea.”
Davis had wished to speak more openly about his concerns with the ABC’s Bill Birtles on Thursday but was not allowed to by officials for reasons that were not explained.
In extraordinary scenes at a public cafe inside the hospital, staff surrounded Davis when it became apparent he was about to speak.
Not satisfied with their own guard, they called security to reinforce their numbers.
Davis, who is using a wheelchair and has visible facial injuries, told them that he knew Birtles and wished to buy him a cup of tea or coffee. This request was emphatically rejected.
Birtles suggested it was his shout for coffee anyway and handed money to the stunned cashier. Staff then snatched the money from the cashier’s hand.
Soon after, they commandeered Davis’ wheelchair and rushed him towards the elevator as he attempted to speak into reporters’ microphones. He accepted the business card of a Wall Street Journal reporter, but this, too, was ripped away.
The staff in question, who identified as being from the hospital, said they had been ordered to stop patients from speaking to the media.
Before the apparent lockdown policy, most passengers who have shared their experiences – mostly on the condition of anonymity – have been complimentary of the airline and the hospital.
It was this glowing endorsement of Singapore Airlines that prompted Davis’ attempt to speak out.
Media from all over the world have converged on the Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, which is treating most of the injured from the flight. Though all interactions with patients witnessed by this masthead have been respectful, the sheer number of cameras and microphones in the designated public area could be taken by some as threatening.
Three Australians remain in intensive care. A further nine are in other wards.
When informed of the incident on Thursday, a hospital spokesman expressed concern but said staff were there to protect patients’ welfare. He said he would investigate, adding that no order came from Singapore Airlines. In a later press conference, hospital director Dr Adinun Kittiratanapaibool apologised and said the officials had good intentions.
A Singapore Airlines customer care representative dedicated to Davis’ case landed in Bangkok on Thursday.
“Singapore Airlines apologises to Mr Keith Davis and his wife, and is providing them with the necessary support and assistance they need during this difficult time,” a spokesperson said late on Thursday. The airline had also organised travel to Bangkok for the couple’s family.
Its task has been complicated by privacy restrictions, injuries and the number of patients in multiple Bangkok hospitals. Senior leadership were due to visit Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital on Friday.
Davis, a coffee man, never did get his long-black and was forced to settle for a cappuccino.
Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here.