Aerobridge ceiling panel falls on flyer's head at Hyderabad airport
What's the story
A United States citizen, Deepak Adoni, was injured after a metal panel from an aerobridge's ceiling fell on him at Hyderabad Airport. The incident occurred when Adoni was disembarking from an Air India Express flight that had arrived from Bengaluru on Sunday afternoon. He was one of the first passengers to exit the aircraft when the accident took place.
Aftermath
Man falls on ground after metal panel hits him
Adoni, who is visiting India for official work, was caught off-guard by the falling panel but managed to hold onto a railing for support. A young woman named Zainab Sayed helped him and called for assistance. Help arrived after around 30 minutes and Adoni was taken to Apollo Hospital, where he underwent a CT scan. The scan revealed severe degenerative changes in his cervical spine along with multilevel disk bulges and trivial head trauma.
Health update
Man starts feeling dizzy and disoriented
Adoni said he began feeling dizzy and disoriented within half an hour of the incident. He also started stuttering and had trouble remembering his name during admission at Apollo Hospital. An MRI was also conducted at the hospital to further assess his condition. "All through the (MRI) process, I could not stand...the entire room started to spin," he said. Hospital authorities confirmed that Adoni suffered no acute or significant injuries from the impact and was medically cleared for discharge.
Safety measures
Airport authorities express regret over incident
The aluminum panel that fell was about 7-8 feet long and 2 feet wide. It is still unclear what caused the panel to dislodge and fall. In response to the incident, airport maintenance teams have conducted a safety inspection of the aerobridge ceiling panels to prevent similar occurrences in future. The airport authorities expressed regret over this unfortunate incident but said Adoni suffered "no acute or significant injuries."